FOR Dudley Zoo, finding names for its three new mini meerkats is proving to be anything but ‘simples’.

A competition has been launched to name the pups, which are now three-months-old, with visitors being asked to wrack their brains to come up with unisex suggestions for the siblings.

Keepers will then select the names that best suit the trio and the lucky winner will receive a unique adoption certificate for all three meerkats, a fact sheet, photo and a zoo admission ticket.

Team leader on the ungulates section, Jay Haywood, predicted that Mikhail, Sergei and Aleksandr would be popular suggestions thanks to the popular TV adverts but was quick to add that those names had already been taken.

He added: “The two in our Monkey Tails walkthrough exhibit are called Lucky and Marvin, then there’s George, Alexander and Louis, named after HRH Prince George, and the two born last April, were called Oleg and Boris.”

Suggestions can be submitted via the zoo’s Facebook page at www.facebook.com/dudleyzoo or emailed to competition@dudleyzoo.org.uk.

The closing date is August 14.