SIX adorable meerkat babies have been named by the public.

Drusillas Park near Alfriston welcomed the new litter into the world during lockdown.

After asking the public to suggest names for the pups, zookeepers decided to name them after characters from TV comedy Friends.

The three boys will be called Chandler, Joey, and Ross while the trio of girls have been dubbed Monica, Rachel and Phoebe.

The winning names were suggested by Chloe Abby from Kent and Julie Humphries from Malvern, Worcestershire.

The Argus: The zoo's six baby meerkats have proven popular with visitorsThe zoo's six baby meerkats have proven popular with visitors

Head zookeeper Sophie Leadbitter said: “We spent hours poring over all the name suggestions.

“When we found Julie and Chloe had suggested the male and female names from Friends, we just couldn’t resist.”

Runners-up included Weasley, Potter, and Granger after characters from the Harry Potter series; Timon, Pumba, and Simba from The Lion King; and Dusty, Ned, and Lucky from hit Eighties comedy The Three Amigos.

But keepers decided naming them after Friends characters was the best choice – especially because Joey’s meerkat counterpart does not like sharing his food.

“We would like to say a massive thank you to everyone who entered the competition.

“We had a really tough time whittling our choices down,” said Ms Leadbitter.