A PUB is offering punters a simoples new way to enjoy their pint – a cuddle with a meerkat.
The Royal Oak Inn in Brockham, Surrey, is home to seven of the highly social animals.
Landlord Chris Collier said he wanted to offer “something unique” amid the UK pub crisis.
He said: “I’ve got 30 years in the pub industry and I think it’s struggling at the moment with people’s changing drinking habits and rising costs, so it’s good to diversify and offer something unique.
“Pubs need to be more than beer and burgers nowadays, so we’re offering beer and meerkats.”
Chris rescued the animals after their owner was diagnosed with terminal cancer.
He built a special enclosure for them in the inn garden and feeds them on vegetable peelings from the pub kitchen, as well as wet cat food, high protein dried food, raw eggs and meal worms.
After having their zoo license approved, the pub now runs meerkat-handling sessions.
Chris said the animals “love the attention and it’s beneficial for them”.
