meerkat.

Every animal welcomes spring in his or her own way. Pigs wallow in the mud, horses gallop through the tall grass, rabbits start to poop jelly beans in preparation for Easter. But what about the meerkat? Well, this little fella is embracing the season in his own sweet way -- he's picking the prettiest flowers he can find to take back to his friends at Daily Squee (even if the flower in question is taller than he is). ...

In Overland Park, Kan., a meerkat stolen last month from the Kansas City Zoo showed up, in all places, at a pet store. Zoo director Randy Wisthoff believes the culprit jumped into the meerkats' fenced-in area of the zoo and took the little guy from the Africa exhibit. The critter was later dropped off at a Petco by some dude in "jeans and a hoodie." The meerkat was eventually returned to the zoo, which is a good thing for all involved, since "meerkats make very poor pets," according to the Overland Park Police. "They bite, and a serious bite can become infected ... [and] they have a very strong odor and will scent-mark their owner and the house." Hmmm. We wonder if we could get some ...

Barcroft / Fame Pictures One of the most memorable friendships from Disney's "The Lion King" is now being acted out at a game park near Sun City, South Africa. Zinzi, the tiny lioness, was brought into Predator World Zoo and Game Farm at just a day old; her mother refused to feed her, according to the (U.K.) Telegraph. Marcell Tournier, owner of Predator World, took the little cub in, much to the delight of Bob, a 2-year-old meerkat who, Tournier told Telegraph, "likes having anything cuddly and cute around." Sounds like Bob is our kind of people. Erm, meerkat. The pair barely leave each other's sides. We can just picture them frolicking in the fields until, exhausted, they hunker down ...