Zoo #37 – Meerkat

In terms of still observance,
The meerkat’s sheer endurance
Is matched by no insurgents –
They also sell insurance.

Well, this is the way that things work out.  I was quietly patting myself on the back for the above, when suddenly it dawned on me that most of my readers would have not the faintest idea of what I was banging on about.  I will therefore explain.  Some time ago the advertising agency employed by the price comparison website Compare the Market* came up with the slogan Compare the Meerkat and a series of ads based around an anthropomorphic animated family of the aforementioned critters.  The meerkats have gone on to be far more famous than the product they advertise but, crucially – according to Wikipedia – only in the UK and Australia: two places from which the majority of my followers do not come.  Hence the four lines at the head of this post will make sense only to about three of you.  I cannot make any sense of the fact that the catchphrase of ‘Simples’ has seeped into general usage nor why a ‘free’ cuddly toy of a meerkat dressed in a velour smoking jacket would persuade you to change your insurance provider, but that is the way it is with mass hysteria sometimes.  You pays your money and you takes their pick…

*In the interests of sanity I actually prefer to think that this was not the work of the entire agency, but someone they keep locked up in the cellar, fed on raw meat and Guinness.

Anyway, in order to balance out this reckless oversight, here is a poem about an animal much more widely recognised the world over – at least if young men are to be believed**. 

Cougar

The cougar likes to hunt alone,
Drawn to its prey by constant hunger;
The older female, always prone
To search for males forever younger.

**Generally speaking, they are not.