Surprise at meerkat in Dundee find

Two teenagers have spoken about their surprise at finding a meerkat living wild in Dundee. Franek Czarnecki and his friend Amy Smith, 14, helped trap the stray animal with a piece of ham and a plastic box until a Scottish SPCA specialist could come and rescue it.

Franek said he had gone to the park near South Road with his friend on Friday when they discovered the animal.

Experts from the animal charity found another wild meerkat in the area the following day.

“We were sitting on the swings and then I looked over and something ran past us. I thought it was a tiny cat,” Franek said.

“When I went over, it was standing up with its paws out and its head up. I thought: oh God it’s a meerkat.”

He said they phoned the SSPCA for help.

“The woman didn’t believe me at first,” he said.

“I sent her photos and emails and they asked me to keep the meerkat with us for as long as possible.”

He said his sister and her friend came and brought a plastic box and some ham.

“They couldn’t believe it. It was sitting just six feet in front of us,” he added.

He called home and said he screamed “we’ve found a meerkat” to his mum.

An SSPCA officer arrived and took the animal away. Amy said: “It was surreal. “We didn’t know how to react. I’m glad the meerkat is OK now.”

The SSPCA specialists returned the next day and found a second animal living in the area.

It was initially thought the meerkats, a species of mongoose that originates from southern Africa, had escaped from Camperdown Wildlife Centre.

However, all of the centre’s meerkats are accounted for, leading to speculation the strays had been kept as pets and later released into the city.

Meerkats have become increasingly popular after featuring in nature documentaries and, in animated form, in TV adverts for price comparison site Compare the Market.

The meerkats have both been taken to Camperdown where they are said to be in good condition.

Senior animal rescue officer Ben Soutar received a bite to his protective glove when he collected the animals.

He said: “We can confirm that we were called to rescue two meerkats from South Road in Dundee.

“The first meerkat was found on March 12 and the second a day later in the same location.”

RESCUE: The SSPCA were called out to deal with two stray meerkats at the weekend.

Franek Czarnecki.