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THERE has never been a better time to be a slender, foot-tall mongoose with salt-and-pepper fur, a pointy nose and an inquisitive disposition.

That's how Clyde the meerkat sees it, anyway.

Clyde is the main attraction at his owners' pet shop in Ivybridge, near Plymouth.

Derek Wakeham, 47, owns the Sign Of The Owl Petshop, where Clyde likes to hang out. Derek and his wife reared Clyde from birth – and he's now a much-loved family pet.

Derek explained: "Clyde is very sociable. He loves to play on the counter in the shop and often climbs up on the till – the customers love him.

"Meerkats aren't normally domesticated animals, but because we brought Clyde up ourselves, he's used to humans."

Britain has fallen in love with these diminutive mammals from the Kalahari Desert thanks to the hit series of TV adverts based around "comparethe meerkat.com".

While Clyde might not be as eloquent as the great Aleksandr Orlov, the smooth-talking, velvet-jacket-loving website entrepreneur from the insurance ads, he does bear a striking resemblance to the TV star.

And yesterday Clyde secretly confided to the Western Morning News that he very much likes to "play in shop, working till and meeting pet shop peoples".

Derek, his wife Julie, 42, and their teenage children Andrew,19, Daniel, 17, and Kelly, 15, are all extremely fond of Clyde – and thrilled that meerkats are suddenly so popular.

Derek added: "Clyde is nothing like Aleksandr – but he's definitely got a curious personality of his own!"

Clyde is clearly just as cool – not only does the six-year-old meerkat take charge of the till while Derek serves customers, but he likes to chill out with his human family while snacking on fruit, eggs and the odd cricket.

Seemples!