Stuffed toy is mere comfort

These adorable baby meerkats have been snuggling up to a cuddly toy at their home in the Black Country.

The five babies were orphaned after their mother Anika died just days after they were born.

Now owner Steve Rowlands, Oldbury's famous animal man who runs Tropical Inc, has brought in the stuffed surrogate in a bid to replace their mother who died two days after their birth.

The 28-year-old gave the cuties, who are just four inches long, the 10 inch meerkat toy alongside a hot water bottle to recreate the motherly experience.

"We bought the toy to try and lessen the trauma for them and try and make things as natural as possible. We put it in with them and they just snuggled up to it like it was their mother.

"They now assume that the toy is their mum and they are acting completely normally around it."