While the abstract paintings proved a hit last year and sold out quickly, the identity of the artists may come as a surprise.

Running amok through a mixture of animal food, poster paint and soil, a team of eager meerkats made their mark with coloured paws on canvas to raise funding for Canberra's National Zoo and Aquarium annual art exhibition and sale.

"We started the [exhibition] last year and it was a huge success," senior wildlife keeper Renee Osterloh said.

"This year we're committed to supporting conservation partners TRAFFIC and Free the Bears to protect animals from poachers, the pet trade and medicine industries."

With the exhibition opening on Friday and continuing throughout the weekend, participants are invited to purchase pieces generously donated by Australian artists and, of course, the animals themselves.

The zoo is committed to the care and protection of endangered animals. Ms Osterloh said wildlife crime had severe consequences, and not only for biodiversity.

"Wildlife crime is a multibillion dollar industry that supports other illegal organisations [such as] terrorism," she said.

Wildlife crime has been connected to organised crime, corruption and funding terrorist activities. Save the Rhino claims wildlife trafficking is one of the world's top criminal activities, along with drugs, arms and human trafficking. It has also become a huge issue for Australian wildlife.

"Australian species [such as] echidnas end up in illegal trades, pet shows and pet industries around the world," Ms Osterloh said. She believed the best way forward was through education.

"We really need to inform the public," she said. "When people see cute pets in illegal markets, it's important to be aware of where they're from, the existence they had, and the risk on their genetic sustainability. [Animals] are not objects."

On a positive note, the zoo's breeding program has seen great success. Working in partnerships with the Zoo and Aquarium Association and other Australian and international conservatories, they rotate animals to increase genetic diversity in the region.

"The majority of the species are on breeding programs due to their statuses in the wild. We've been really successful with Colobus primates, and we hadn't bred them for 11 years … but we can't breed every single species.'

For more information about the exhibition and to support the National Canberra Zoo and other wildlife organisations, visit their Facebook page.