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Meerkat Manor is simples the best

It started with an anonymous cheque, simply made out to Aleksandr the Meerkat.

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Keepers at Dudley Zoo were dumbfounded when the £1,000 gift dropped on their doormat in the summer, but it was an easy decision when it came to what it should be spent on - sprucing up the meerkat enclosure.

The pen itself - which is the domain of alpha male Aleksandr and his merry band of meerkats - is listed, meaning no alterations could be made.

So keepers, caretakers and two volunteer carpenters have spent the past eight weeks constructing a heated annex, where the 18-strong gang will sleep and which is connected to the current enclosure by an above-ground pipe.

See also: Meet the twins! Lemurs at large at Dudley Zoo.

The zoo's assistant curator Richard Brown said: "It will keep them warm as we have heat coming off the reptile house next door, they have got sand inside so they can have a dig around.

"It also enables visitors to see them when they are asleep, as previously they have gone underground.

"They are also now easier to catch, if we need to check them over or sex them.

"It was simple to decide how to use the money, this is something we have wanted to do for a long time."

See also: Compare the meerkats! Taking in this pair was simples.

The new annex, called Meerkat Manor, was opened yesterday by Year 3 pupils from Croft Academy, Walsall, who have been studying the animals as part of a literature project. Pupils Sri Harshitha, aged eight, and seven-year-old Malikah Ali cut the ribbon, and the class was handed a certificate to show that they had adopted one of the animals, who happened to be Aleksandr.

Children from Croft Academy check out the meerkats in their new manor

Their teacher Katie Harper said: "They have been really excited. They knew they were coming to the zoo but we didn't tell them that they were going to be opening Meerkat Manor, or that they would be adopting one of them.

"It was hard to keep them quiet in the morning, they were all talking about the animals that they were going to see."

The opening event yesterday was a way of showing the anonymous benefactor that their money has been put to good use.

Rachel Hickman, communications officer, said: "As we don't know who donated the money we wanted to make the opening a big deal, as we want to say thank you.

"The meerkats seem to like it, as they went in there straight away, and the visitors can see them now when they are asleep too."

The addition of Meerkat Manor is the latest in a string of developments at the zoo, which are taking place thanks to a grant of Heritage Lottery Fund money.

The historic Bear Ravine, one of the zoo's iconic Tecton buildings which dates back to the 1930s, is currently being revamped as part of the £1.15 million project to update the site.

One of the zoo's meerkats peeks out of the new enclosure

Work on the 'ravine', which has not actually housed bears for around 30 years, follows completion of the Safari Shop, which provides a new entrance and exit for visitors, and the extension of the car park.

See also: Caught on camera: Scramble for baby snow leopard.

Work on Bear Ravine is expected to be completed this autumn, and it has not yet been decided if animals will be moved into the enclosure or if it will be left as a public space.

The zoo's famous 'wave' entrance has also had a facelift. completed in the summer, the building was restored to its original blue colour, and lights were put behind the zoo letters to make them stand out at night. Metal meshing has been repainted and part of the roof has been repaired.

Dudley Zoo, along with the Black Country Living Museum, Dudley Canal Trust and Dudley Council, are working on plans to boost visitor numbers to the sites to one million people each year.

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