YOUNG meerkats have been photographed playing in a specially designed ball pit.

The triplets were born at Drusillas Park in Alfriston earlier this summer and zookeepers say the trio, now meerkat toddlers, are becoming more playful by the day.

Deputy head keeper Gemma Romanis said Buzz, Moonbeam and Apollo started pulling balls from the bag before keepers even had time to set up.

She said: “We coated the ball pool balls with mealworms and other tasty meerkat treats and they absolutely loved it.

“It certainly made dinner time a lot more exciting.”

“Mum batted around a few balls for her toddlers and kept a careful eye on the activity.

“When a little tussle over a ball broke out, she was straight in there to split them up and make them play nicely.

“Our meerkats really enjoyed their soft play ball pool experience.

“It’s always a gamble with enrichment as to how well it will be received.

“Sometimes you work really hard to create something nice and the animals turn their noses up at you and aren’t having any of it. But this was a huge success.”