If you’re after a break from the pandemic, let’s pivot to a story about meerkats.

Loveable, sociable, and best left where they belong really – the wild.

Sadly, that is not the case here in South Africa, and for some, the desire to own one (or many) as a pet has proven too strong to resist.

Despite the fact that this is an illegal practice without the required permits, it continues and is a lucrative business.

Enter Carte Blanche, who decided to catch a trader out in their own unique style:

Cute as babies, but terrors when full-grown – meerkats are wild animals and keeping them as pets, without a permit, is illegal.

This hasn’t stopped some South Africans from getting them on the black market. Carte Blanche goes undercover to expose a pet trader who is buying and selling meerkats to eager buyers, keeping this illegal trade flourishing.

Around the three-minute mark, the trader thinks it’s a laugh. It’s not long before he realises he is in the dwang,

Enjoy:

[source:carteblanche]