The meerkat that thinks he's a dog

Meet Stitch - he thinks he’s a dog but he doesn’t like the cold. The African meerkat, who lives at Shropshire bird centre Becks Bird Barn, has had to be extra adventurous to get through the current cold snap.Stitch was born to into a family of the animals who live at the shop at Ellerdine, near Crudgington, in the summer.

He had to be rescued by staff when his relatives rejected him and has been raised by hand into a model meerkat. Now he can be petted by people, taken for walks and mix with other animals.



Usually the animals make terrible pets who do not like human contact - so Stitch is unique.



As the baby of a meerkat who was not the Alpha female in the nest, he would have been killed by the rest of the family if he was not taken out.

With gallery of photos.