The Messy Meerkat Read online

  Zoe smiled as she watched Max shake the dirt from his fur. Something told her life certainly wasn’t going to be dull with this messy little meerkat around!

  With special thanks to Siobhan Curham

  Chapter One

  A New Animal Family

  Zoe Parker dipped her brush into a pot of bright-yellow paint. The Rescue Zoo was having a special treasure hunt in a couple of days, just before the end of the summer holidays. The treasure hunt had been Zoe’s idea, and she was looking forward to having a brilliant day before school started again!

  The zoo had just closed for the evening and Zoe and her mum Lucy were on the grass outside the hippo enclosure, making a banner to let people know about the treasure hunt. Zoe added some long golden rays to the smiley sun at the centre of the banner.

  “There – it’s finished,” she said, feeling proud of her work.

  COME TO OUR SUMMER TREASURE HUNT! THIS SATURDAY AT 11, the banner said in bright, colourful letters. As well as the sun, Zoe had painted cheery pink, red and orange flowers clambering around the words.

  “It looks lovely, Zoe,” Lucy said as she began packing away the paints. “It was such a great idea of yours to have a treasure hunt. Lots of people have bought tickets for it.”

  Zoe grinned. She loved it when the zoo was full of visitors. But Zoe wasn’t a visitor to the Rescue Zoo. She actually lived there! Her Great-Uncle Horace had started the zoo a long time ago, as a home for any animals who were lost, poorly or didn’t have a home. Zoe’s mum was the zoo vet, and she and Zoe lived on the edge of the zoo in a cosy little cottage.

  Just then, a little mouse lemur scampered over and looked at the banner, his golden eyes gleaming with excitement.

  “Hello, Meep.” Zoe picked him up and stroked his silky grey fur. Meep was her very best friend and he lived with Zoe and Lucy in their cottage.

  A young hippo called Henry trundled over to the edge of his enclosure and grunted loudly. His grey skin was covered in splotches of mud. Zoe smiled. Henry loved nothing more than taking a mud bath in the lake in the middle of his enclosure – all the hippos loved the mud! Henry grunted again and nodded at the banner. He was telling Zoe how much he liked it. Zoe knew this because she had a special secret – she was able to talk to animals! They understood her and she understood them. But nobody knew, not even her mum or Great-Uncle Horace. So she just smiled at Henry and nodded.

  “And what, may I ask, is going on here?”

  Zoe turned to see Mr Pinch standing on the red-brick path with his hands on his hips and a frown on his face.

  “Uh-oh!” Meep muttered, and hopped on to Zoe’s shoulder.

  Mr Pinch was the Rescue Zoo manager. He was tall and thin and nearly always grumpy.

  “We’re making a banner for the summer treasure hunt,” Lucy replied as she packed away the last of the paints.

  “Well, you’re certainly making a mess,” Mr Pinch said. “Look!” He pointed to the grass.

  “What?” Zoe asked, puzzled.

  “Paint!” Mr Pinch snapped.

  Zoe moved closer to where he was pointing and spotted a tiny splash of yellow paint on the grass. “But it’s only a speck,” she said.

  Henry the hippo snorted with laughter.

  Mr Pinch turned and glared at him. “And look at that messy hippo,” he said, shaking his head. “All covered in mud.”

  “Hippos are supposed to be covered in mud,” Zoe said. “It keeps them cool in this hot weather. Are you looking forward to the treasure hunt?” she asked, trying to change the subject.

  “No, I am not,” Mr Pinch retorted. “Loads of people scrambling about looking for prizes is not my idea of fun.” He turned on his heel and marched off.

  Meep hopped down from Zoe’s shoulder and marched up and down crossly, pretending to be Mr Pinch. Zoe giggled, Meep was very cheeky indeed!

  Just then, Mo the hippo keeper walked past with a wheelbarrow full of sand.

  “Hi, Zoe. Hi, Lucy,” he called.

  “Hello, Mo. What are you doing with that sand?” Zoe called back.

  “I’m preparing a new enclosure for some special animals,” Mo replied with a grin.

  Zoe’s tummy fluttered. She loved it when new animals arrived at the Rescue Zoo!

  “What kind of animals are they?” she asked.

  “You’ll have to wait and see!” Mo replied. “Your Great-Uncle Horace wants it to be a surprise. But if your mum says it’s OK you can come and help me get the enclosure ready for them.”

  Zoe looked at Lucy excitedly.

  “Go on,” Lucy said with a smile. “I’ll join you after I’ve hung up the banner.”

  Zoe skipped along the footpath after Mo, with Meep scampering along beside her.

  “Why do you think he’s got all that sand?” she whispered to Meep. “What kind of animal needs sand?”

  “Er – a sand hippo?” Meep suggested.

  Zoe looked puzzled. “I don’t think there’s such an animal as a sand hippo.”

  Meep looked disappointed. “What about a sand panda?”

  “Nope.” Zoe shook her head.

  “How about a sand-wich? I’m starving!” he said, rubbing his tummy.

  “You’re always starving,” Zoe giggled. She took a pack of seeds from her pocket and gave Meep a handful.

  They followed Mo round to the back of the hippo enclosure, where a new glass-walled enclosure gleamed in the setting sun. The enclosure was full of dirt and sand. A few logs and rocks were dotted about but apart from that the enclosure was empty.

  Zoe watched as Mo let himself in and tipped in the sand from the wheelbarrow. Her mind whirred as she tried to work out what kind of animal the enclosure could be for. Sand was usually found in the desert in hot places like Africa. And Mo was the zookeeper who looked after the hippos, which also came from Africa. Zoe quickly thought of other animals that came from Africa. Lions and leopards and elephants and giraffes… But the Rescue Zoo already had enclosures for those animals, and they were much bigger than this one!

  All of a sudden Zoe heard a low hum coming from the sky, which became louder and louder.

  Around the zoo the sound of animals bellowing, roaring, trumpeting and chirping filled the air.

  “Goo! Goo!” Meep chattered, jumping up and down.

  Zoe felt like jumping up and down with excitement too. Goo was Meep’s nickname for her Great-Uncle Horace and the noise was coming from the Rescue Zoo helicopter! Zoe spun round just in time to see the helicopter coming in to land on the other side of the new enclosure.

  “Great-Uncle Horace!” she cried, racing round to greet him as soon as the blades on the helicopter roof had stopped.

  The door to the helicopter opened and Great-Uncle Horace clambered from the cockpit. He was wearing safari clothes and had a pair of binoculars around his neck. His bushy white beard was covered in dust. A beautiful bright-blue bird fluttered out after him. It was Kiki, the hyacinth macaw Great-Uncle Horace had rescued years ago and who was now his constant companion.

  “Zoe!” Great-Uncle Horace cried, hurrying over to give her a hug. “It’s so lovely to see you.”

  “You too!” Zoe replied. “Where have you been? What animal have you rescued? Can I meet it?”

  Great-Uncle Horace chuckled as Kiki fluttered down to perch on his shoulder. “One question at a time! I’ve been to Botswana, which is in Africa. It was marvellous. Although we did get caught in a flash flood, which was most unexpected and brings me to the answer to your final question…” Great-Uncle Horace looked back at the helicopter. “I have on board a family who sadly lost their home in the flood.”

  A family! Zoe’s eyes lit up. Even though it was sad that the mystery animals had lost their home, she was glad they had a safe new home
at the Rescue Zoo. But what kind of animals were they?

  Mo came striding over from the new enclosure. “Welcome back, Horace,” he called.

  “Ah, Mo,” Great-Uncle Horace said. “Just the person I need. Would you help me carry our new arrivals to their new home?”

  “Of course.”

  Zoe watched as Mo and Great-Uncle Horace got back on the helicopter and re-emerged carrying a large wooden crate.

  “I can’t wait to see what’s inside,” she whispered to Meep.

  “Me too!” Meep chirped, jumping up and down.

  They followed Great-Uncle Horace and Mo over to the new enclosure.

  “Could you open the gate, please, Zoe?” Mo called.

  “Of course.” Zoe felt for the silver paw-print pendant around her neck. It had been a special gift from Great-Uncle Horace and it opened all of the enclosures in the zoo. She pressed the pendant to a pad next to the gate and it swung open. Mo and Great-Uncle Horace took the crate inside and placed it down in the middle of the sand and dirt. Zoe followed them in with Meep on her shoulder, closing the gate behind her.

  “And now, all shall be revealed,” Great-Uncle Horace said grandly, before unlocking the lid of the crate and lifting it open. A pointy little face peered over the edge, followed by another and another. The creatures’ fur was pale brown, with large black patches around their eyes. Zoe’s heart thumped with excitement.

  “Are they meerkats?” she smiled.

  “They certainly are,” Great-Uncle Horace replied, as the three meerkats scrambled from the crate. The larger two stood still and gazed around the enclosure but the smaller one scampered over to the glass wall and looked outside.

  “Three meerkats!” Zoe exclaimed.

  “Not three,” Great-Uncle Horace replied with a grin as he leaned into the crate. “Six.” One by one, he gently placed three baby meerkats on the sand. Their fur was paler and fluffier than the others, making them look a bit like puppies.

  “Aw, they’re so cute!” Zoe exclaimed as the baby meerkats started rolling around on the floor, play-fighting with each other.

  “These are the babies – two girls and one boy – and that one over there is their big brother.” Great-Uncle Horace pointed to the meerkat looking out of the glass enclosure.

  “They’re gorgeous!” Zoe cried. “Can I go and get Mum so she can meet them?”

  “Of course,” Great-Uncle Horace replied.

  Zoe hurried back over to the gate and opened it with her pendant. But before she had a chance to leave, a blur of pale-brown fur raced past her and outside. Zoe’s stomach lurched. The bigger meerkat pup had escaped!

  Chapter Two

  The False Alarm

  Zoe raced after the pup with Meep right behind her.

  “Come back!” she cried. Thankfully the zoo was now closed so the paths were empty. The meerkat scampered past the hippo enclosure, where Lucy had just finished hanging the banner on the fence.

  “Where are you off to in such a hurry?” Lucy called when she saw Zoe running past.

  “A meerkat’s escaped,” Zoe gasped.

  “A meerkat?” Lucy looked puzzled. “But we don’t have any meerkats.”

  “We do now!” Zoe cried. “Great-Uncle Horace brought them back with him!”

  Zoe ran past the giraffe enclosure, where Jamie the youngest giraffe was grazing by the fence. When he saw Zoe he bleated loudly.

  “I can’t explain now,” Zoe replied breathlessly. “I’m trying to catch a meerkat.” Jamie raised his long neck and giggled loudly.

  Up ahead of her on the path, the meerkat darted under a large bush outside the panda enclosure.

  Zoe ran up to the bush. She heard a scrambling sound and then the meerkat appeared. His pale-brown fur was covered in dirt and two leaves were stuck on his head.

  “Please don’t run away again,” Zoe panted.

  The meerkat stood on his hind legs and looked at Zoe. Then he made a little chattering sound.

  “What were you doing then, if you weren’t running away?” Zoe said.

  The meerkat chattered some more.

  “What did he say?” Meep asked, scampering over.

  “He was looking for fun,” Zoe explained.

  Meep giggled. “Fun’s a good thing to look for.”

  The meerkat nodded and a couple of leaves fell from his head on to the floor. Then he looked around him and yelped.

  “You’re at the Rescue Zoo,” Zoe explained. “My name’s Zoe and this is Meep. We live at the zoo with my mum, Lucy. She’s the zoo vet. What’s your name?”

  The meerkat gave a little yelp.

  “Welcome to the Rescue Zoo, Max,” Zoe replied. “Now, we’d better get you back to your family or they’re going to be worried.” Zoe gently picked up the meerkat pup. He was very fluffy and didn’t weigh very much at all! He seemed to like being held, and climbed up Zoe’s arm until his head was peeping over her shoulder. The three friends set off back along the path.

  When they got to the new enclosure Lucy was there, talking to Great-Uncle Horace and Mo.

  “Oh thank goodness!” Great-Uncle Horace exclaimed, as Zoe let herself back inside. “I was just about to send out a search party.”

  “It’s OK, he hadn’t gone far.” Zoe placed Max on the sand next to his parents. They both barked at him, telling him off for running away. Max sighed before going over to join his baby siblings.

  “Right, I’d better get these guys settled in for the night,” Mo said.

  “Can I help?” Zoe asked eagerly.

  “It’s time for dinner now, Zoe,” Lucy said. “And we both need to get an early night. We’ve got a very busy day ahead of us tomorrow, preparing for the treasure hunt.”

  “Why don’t you come back first thing in the morning?” Mo said to Zoe. “You can help me get the enclosure finished.”

  “Great, thank you!” Zoe went over to Max and stroked him on the head. “See you tomorrow, Max,” she whispered.

  Max chattered in her ear and Zoe giggled. “Yes, I’ll make sure we do something fun together!”

  The next morning Zoe set off bright and early for the meerkat enclosure, with Meep on her shoulder. The sun was just rising and the zoo was still closed. In their enclosures the animals were all starting to wake up.

  “I can’t wait to see Max and his family again,” said Zoe.

  “Me too,” Meep chirped.

  When they got to the new enclosure the meerkat family were standing in a line on one of the logs. Mo was standing outside watching them.

  “What are they doing?” Zoe asked.

  “Warming up,” Mo replied.

  “How?” Zoe asked. “They’re standing still.”

  Mo smiled. “See how they’re all facing the sun?”

  Zoe turned and saw the sun coming up over the hippo enclosure, its golden rays shimmering in the lake. Then she looked back at the meerkats. Mo was right. They were all standing facing the sun!

  “Meerkats have patches on their tummies where the fur is a lot thinner,” Mo explained. “Every morning when they wake up, they stand like that, facing their tummies to the sun. The heat goes through the patch and warms their whole bodies.”

  “Kind of like solar panels?” Zoe asked.

  Mo laughed. “Yes, kind of like solar panels.”

  “That’s so cool!” Zoe exclaimed.

  When Max saw Zoe and Meep he got down from the log and came scampering over, chattering loudly.

  “Can you help me bring these logs into the enclosure?” Mo asked, pointing to a pile of logs beside the gate.

  “Of course.” Zoe picked up one of the logs and followed Mo inside. “What are they for?”

  “The meerkats will use them as lookout posts,” Mo explained. “When they forage for food or burrow new tunnels one of them always stands guard in case a predator appears.”

  “But no predators will hurt the meerkats here at the Rescue Zoo,” Zoe said.

  “No, but the meerkats don’t know that!” Mo s
miled.

  Zoe helped Mo arrange the logs in the enclosure, with Max and Meep scampering around excitedly.

  When they finished, the other meerkats jumped down from the log and Max’s parents called him over. Zoe went a bit closer so she could hear what they were saying. They were telling Max that they wanted him to teach his baby brother and sisters how to burrow.

  Max let out an excited shriek and began digging really fast, sending clouds of sand into the air.

  “Meerkats are able to close their ears so the dirt doesn’t get into them when they’re burrowing,” Mo said.

  “I wish I could close my ears when Mr Pinch starts grumbling,” Meep chirped on Zoe’s shoulder, making her giggle.

  Max carried on burrowing faster and faster and the cloud of sand grew bigger and bigger. His baby brother and sisters scampered over and started trying to copy him. In seconds they were covered in sand and started to sneeze.

  “Oh dear, it’s a shame they’re not able to close their noses too,” Mo chuckled.

  Max’s mum let out a loud bark to tell Max to stop digging. He emerged from the hole covered in dirt.

  Max’s dad chattered to him, telling him that was enough burrowing and that he was to stand guard instead. Max clambered on to a rock and stood up straight. Then he gave a big yawn. He didn’t look very interested in his new job.

  “I’m just going to go and get some more rocks,” Mo said, fetching his wheelbarrow from the shed at the side of the enclosure.

  “OK! I’ll stay here with the meerkats,” Zoe replied. Zoe wanted to be a zookeeper when she grew up, so she loved helping out whenever she could – and spending time with the animals was her favourite thing to do!

  Once Mo had gone, Zoe watched as Max’s parents began teaching the baby meerkats how to burrow. Max stood guard on the rock.

  “I don’t think he enjoys standing guard,” said Meep, as Max let out another giant yawn.