Sam, the 'country's oldest meerkat', dies at 20

Sam lived to the ripe old age of 20

The owner of a zoo has told of his sadness over the death of a meerkat who was thought to be the oldest in the UK.

Jamie Mintram, who owns Ark Wildlife Park with his wife in Stickney, near Boston, Lincolnshire, said Sam died in her sleep on Tuesday at the ripe old age of 20.

She was rescued more than 10 years ago after being kept as an exotic pet in a rabbit hutch and soon became the matriarch of the meerkat group at the park.

"We're all a bit upset, even though we kind of knew it was coming. She was getting elderly and it has given us a lot of reassurance knowing she must have been happy to have stayed with us so long," Mr Mintram said.

"She was an incredibly social, brave little meerkat, and she'd often be seen perched on people's shoulders when they did the Meerkat Experience at the park.

"One thing she didn't like about living here was every time an RAF Coningsby bomber flew over, she thought it was a giant bird of prey, but other than that she was very brave and a fantastic mum to her two boys, called Chimichanga and Burrito."

Meerkats in captivity tend to live up to 14 or 15.

"So Sam was right up there at a record-breaking age and it has given us a lot of comfort knowing she had an exceptionally long life here with us," Mr Mintram said.

"A lot of our visitors would have seen her and given her a little tickle and fed her, so she'll have met a lot of people over the years," he said.

"Everyone was a little bit down in the dumps when we found her – especially when we saw her boys were cuddled up beside her and we just knew she had gone."

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