A group of meerkats who have been making themselves at home in Dundee’s Camperdown Wildlife Park have received a special visitor.
Lord Provost Bob Duncan met the centre’s newest residents, who were just as keen to meet him as he was to see them.
With a tub of live worms as a housewarming gift, the lord provost spent time hanging out with the meerkats.
Afterwards he said: “That is certainly the first time I’ve done that. It is a wonderful attraction and I just hope crowds of people come down and see it for themselves.
“This exhibition is a huge boost for Dundee and it is good to see the new enclosure looking amazing.
“They bring a different element to our visitor experience and I am delighted to see them here and hope they are happy in their new home.
“We brought them here from a collection in Leeds because they are important as a learning resource.”
The five female meerkats moved into the centre over the weekend and have been settling into their new home ahead of the launch.
Mr Duncan was joined in the enclosure by five-year-old Rebecca Hunter, who said: “It was awesome.”
Rebecca also had her own idea about why she was so popular with the meerkats.
“They are all girls and girls always like pink,” she said.
The meerkats were only let out into their new enclosure on Monday and yesterday was the first opportunity for members of the public to see them.
Born in captivity in Leeds, the meerkats are used to the colder weather of the UK but still enjoy their new heated home in the sunniest area of the wildlife park.
Aileen Whitelaw, manager of the wildlife centre, said: “Over the weekend we wanted to make sure they got settled in before they got out.
“They are fantastic and they coped well with people going into the enclosure.”
While not every visitor will be allowed into the meerkat enclosure, the centre does have opportunities for people to become zookeepers for the day and experience it for themselves.
Aileen said: “It is an amazing experience.This exhibition is mainly for the public and it is proving a huge draw as the summer holidays begin.
“There have been a lot of people coming round to see them already. The wildlife centre has changed a lot over the years, and slowly but surely we want to be the best.”
Camperdown Wildlife Centre is operated by Leisure and Culture Dundee working in partnership with Dundee City Council.