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This afternoon we took Grandpa for a walk around Newmiller Dam in Wakefield - it was a beautiful sunny afternoon, and half of Wakefield seemed to be walking around the dam.

I spotted what I thought was a ferret on a lead - and it turned out to be a meerkat called Mishka. I couldn't believe my eyes! I bent down to stroke her and she climbed up my trouser leg and onto my shoulder - her owner says she has to live indoors as she would otherwise burrow her way out of the garden. I didn't ask how he came to have her, it seemed a great shame that she lives alone as I think they are very social animals and I'm not really sure if it's legal to keep them as pets anyway.

Sadly the photos are not great as I'd just been taking shots in bright sun and I didn't change the settings. Doh!! You get the idea.

As we walked on, Grandpa, who you can see here with John, Sarah and Lizzie, said "I thought meerkats were much larger - the ones in the adverts seem to be quite big". Perhaps he thinks they wear smoking jackets and speak in a Russian accent normally!