SIMPLES! Two baby meerkats were born at Curraghs Wildlife Park in February.

The babies enjoyed the great outdoors for the first time over the Valentine's weekend.

David Cretney MHK, the then Community, Culture and Leisure Minister, said: "We are very proud of our Meerkats. This is the second litter for the proud parents and we are thrilled that we already have the beginnings of a mob.

"I'm sure they will be a great attraction for visitors to the park."

Young Meerkats are almost perfect miniatures of adults and the new babies had already begun to adopt the characteristic posture of standing on their hind legs to sunbathe or stand and watch over their surroundings.

The Meerkats were not the only new arrival at the park. A baby penguin hatched just before Christmas and emerged from its nest at the end of January.

Visitors can get up close to the Meerkats by taking part in the "Meet a Meerkat Experience" where they can feed the animals and will receive a photograph and soft toy in a presentation pack.

This story is part of isleofman.com's Review of the Year 2011.