Tiny Wilson, a baby meerkat was expected to die shortly after being abandoned by his mother on January 20th. He was immediately shunned by his real mother because he was the runt of the litter. To his mother this was just nature running it's course or the survival of the fittest. In the wild there would be no room for the runt of the litter.

But nature was about to get a little assist this time in the favor of the tiny Wilson. Dennis Drew, 30, owner of Mablethorpe Seal and Animal Sanctuary, in Lincolnshire, U.K. had the idea of introducing him to his colleague's pet Chihuahua Kimi - who was going through a phantom pregnancy at the time.

Dennis Drew got the idea after overhearing a staff member talk about Kimi, the Chihuahua. So he introduced Wilson to the dog, who was lactating as part of her phantom pregnancy and was amazed when the baby meerkat actually fed from her.

Mr. Drew said it was an 'incredible' moment when Kimi began feeding Wilson. "It was touch and go because I only know one other place who have successfully hand-reared meerkats," he said. Within days Wilson became bigger and stronger as Kimi took over as his mother believing the meerkat was her own puppy.

According to Drew, "He took to the milk and within a few days Kimi had literally taken over as his mother. Wilson started to become bigger and stronger and now he is doing fantastic. The two are pretty much inseparable now and Wilson follows Kimi wherever she goes and they curl up in the basket together. Kimi even gets very protective and will growl if anybody goes near Wilson. I have worked with animals for over five years and I have never seen anything like this before."

Wilson has even begun to show signs of acting like a dog. He craves human attention and will sit on the sofa and watch TV while being petted. After nearly two months together, both Kimi and Wilson have forged an inseparable bond. Wilson now follows 18 month-old Kimi around wherever she goes and hitches a ride on her back. The unusual pair can also often be seen curled up in a dog basket together.


"It's something you wouldn't be able to do with any other meerkats at the sanctuary. When the doorbell rings and Kimi barks at the door, Wilson will sit between her legs and do the same," said Drew.

Wilson is now on solids and Drew is looking to reintroduce Wilson back to the family who rejected him. "I'm really going to miss him when he gets reintroduced to the other meerkats because he feels part of the family now," said Drew. You can be sure that Kimi, the chihuahua will miss him too.