Now spring is in the air, thoughts turn to new life – frolicking lambs, fluffy chicks and fledgling birds.

However, at Bishop Burton College in East Yorkshire new life has taken an altogether more exotic appearance, with the arrival of a litter of baby meerkats.

The youngsters were born five weeks ago, but have only just ventured outside.

They were born to a family of meerkats that arrived at the college earlier in the year to populate its new outdoor animal handling centre.

The meerkats have been introduced to allow learners to study the dynamics of social mammals.