THESE baby meerkats are about the most popular animals in Oxfordshire right now, thanks to a hit TV advert.

And the Oxford Mail has decided to support conservation and breeding program-mes at their home at the Cotswold Wildlife Park by adopting all four of them.

We have named one Osney, after Osney Mead, in Oxford, the home of our head office, but we want readers to come up with names for the others.

Earlier this month, we reported that the wildlife park in Burford had seen a surge in visitors to the meerkat enclosure, thanks to the exploits of Aleksandr Orlov and his television adverts for insurance website comparethemarket.com.

The campaign centres on Aleksandr’s frustration that people keep coming to his website looking for car insurance and not meerkats.

The babies, whose forebears hail from southern Africa, may look the same but their personalities could not be more different.

Park spokesman Debbie Ryan, said the smallest was the liveliest and had a cheeky and energetic personality, while the other two were more shy and calm, with a more relaxed attitude to life.

Curator Jamie Craig said: “Meerkats generally are in-quisitive and boisterous and get into all sorts of trouble.

“They have to be kept busy, that’s why we have artificial termite mounds, which release insects slowly.”

Ms Ryan added: “We’re delighted the Oxford Mail are adopting the newest members of our meerkat family and that readers will get the chance to name them.”

Send your suggested name for a meerkat and an explanation, of no more than 20 words, of why you think it is a good idea, along with your address and telephone number, either by email, with the subject Meerkat Name to dhearn@oxfordmail.co.uk or by post to Dan Hearn, Meerkat Name, Oxford Mail, Newspaper House, Osney Mead, Oxford, OX2 0EJ.

The deadline for entries is Monday, October 12.