FOUR new additions to the London Zoo family are proving a hit this summer.

One of its resident meerkats, Jenny, who was born at the zoo in 1997, recently gave birth to four "kits" or "pups".

A London Zoo spokeswoman said the antics of the four had delighted visitors.

"The kits were born underground, where they stayed for the first two or three weeks of their lives," she said.

"They still retreat to their cosy, dry downstairs dwelling during cold or wet spells of weather.

"At this early stage, the kits stay near their burrow with a parent member or babysitter until they are old enough to dig, and search for food with the adults.

"But one of them is bolder than the rest and can be seen following mum and dad around the enclosure."

The meerkats are part of London Zoo's Happy Families exhibit, which also includes families of oriental short-clawed otters and ring-tailed lemurs.

They are extremely helpful animals and various other adults will babysit the youngsters while the mother feeds, the spokeswoman said.

One adult can almost always be seen famously keeping watch' over the group from on high.

The Zoo's enclosure has a two metre high 'termite mound' in the centre so that the meerkats can observe the surrounding area just as they would in the wild.