» Celebrity meerkat
A cheeky meerkat is taking over as Britain’s favourite TV animal – and drawing crowds at a Sussex zoo. Aleksandr Orlov, the Russian ‘sophisticat’ who advertises an insurance market comparison website, now has almost 270,000 fans on the social networking site Facebook.
Zoos say the commercials have attracted thousands more visitors to see the small mammals in their dens and one, Drusillas at Alfriston near Eastbourne, has named a new baby meerkat after Aleks.
Laurence Smith, the zoo’s managing director, said: “We’ve noticed an increase in our meerkats’ popularity and some of the visitors are going about singing the jingle as they watch the meerkats.
“It seems Aleks has become a cult figure and, I must admit, I think it’s really funny.” Aleks, an aristocratic furry creature in a velvet smoking jacket who stands on a stool in front of the fire in a baronial hall, was launched in January by London advertising agency VCCP.
Sarah Adamson, the agency’s marketing manager, said: “His Facebook entry had 3,000 friends in the first three days and he now has a fan site with more than 265,000 subscribers.
“He has 7,500 followers on the networking site Twitter and he has received numerous proposals of marriage. “We are looking into the idea of a cuddly toy version – he really has become a star.”
July 3rd, 2009 at 12:23 pm
I have always loved meerkats and watching
Aleksandr Orlov has only made my fondness
for meerkats grow,