Express & Star

Compare the meerkats! Taking in this pair was simples

Who are the cutest new arrivals at an animal centre? Simples, it's these two.

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Baby meerkats Pen and Ink have taken up residence at the Owl and Falconry Centre and are due to be unveiled to the public next week.

The 12-week-olds join a growing roster of animals at the site at Halfpenny Green, Bobbington, which looks after birds of prey but also has a pets corner where visitors can get up close with little mammals.

The centre, which opened in 2012, has two raccoons, peacocks, black swans, donkeys and a skunk called Pepe le Pew.

Marion Taylor, a volunteer from Wolverhampton, said: "Pen and Ink are absolutely adorable and we can't wait to unveil them to our visitors."

Karl Law, head keeper at the centre, said: "I've always wanted to add some meerkats to the Pets Corner but I didn't actually intend on buying them.

"We went up to Manchester to view some raccoons and came back with Pen and Ink as they had been rejected by their mother.

"They are brothers but couldn't be more different - Ink is very inquisitive and Pen is placid - although he is the boss."

Mr Law said despite his love for exotic animals he does not like when people take them for pets.

He added: "These animals are not pets, they are not designed to be kept by inexperienced owners,. I think it's absolutely disgusting the way people buy them to breed and sell them on for cash.

"My hope is that if we can have animals like Pen and Ink here and looked after properly then we can teach young children that they should not have them as pets.

"They can handle them and get up close whilst at the same time we are teaching them that even though they are cute they need to be looked after by people who know what they are doing."

See also: Meerkat mansion revamp at Dudley Zoo.

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