Media playback is unsupported on your device
26 September 2014 Last updated at 07:27 BST
Staff said they had no idea the female meerkat was pregnant until they found the baby in the pen.
The sanctuary is the middle of moving premises to a new site in County Durham, and the new family will now be the last to move.
Animal keepers at a rescue centre in Penrith, Cumbria, have been enjoying an unexpected arrival - a baby meerkat.