The incredible moment a ROBOT is left to babysit tiny meerkats in the ultimate sign of friendship

  • A mechanical meerkat is taken in and accepted by a colony of meerkats
  • The meerkat mothers band together to raise their young
  • They leave the babies with the robot while they go to look for food
  • The footage will be aired on Thursday on the BBC One series 'Spy in the Wild' 

By Shivali Best For Mailonline

Published: 13:54 EST, 25 January 2017 | Updated: 04:54 EST, 26 January 2017

In an incredible display of friendship, a meerkat has been captured roping a robot into babysitting duty. 

In the clip, which will be aired on the BBC One series 'Spy in the Wild' this week, a mechanical meerkat is taken in and accepted into a colony of the animals. 

The incredible footage shows how meerkat mothers band together to raise their young, which can number as many as 18 a year.

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In an incredible display of friendship, a meerkat has been captured roping a robot into babysitting duty. In the clip, which will be aired on the BBC One series 'Spy in the Wild' this week, a mechanical meerkat is taken in and accepted into a colony of the animals

SPY IN THE WILD 

At first sight they look exactly like the real thing – cute, cuddly and in some cases terrifying creatures of the wild.

It's only when you take a closer look that you realise the stars of BBC1's brilliant new wildlife series Spy In The Wild are nothing of the sort.

The monkey, orangutan, crocodile, ostrich and 30 other 'creatures' that take centre stage in this stunning series are extremely lifelike robots, with miniature cameras fitted where their eyes should be, designed to record previously unseen behaviour in their real-life counterparts.

The robot meerkat was made to look and smell like the group by the Spy in the Wild producers. 

At first, the meerkats are tentative with the robot, approaching it with caution. 

But after a few minutes it is quickly welcomed into the fold.

David Tennant, narrator of the series, says: 'Each day, different colony member sets up a crèche to give the mothers all the childcare they could hope for.'

When the mothers go to look for food, they leave the young in the hands of the robot.

This week's episode of Spy in the Wild focuses on friendship, a vital part of animal societies.

The robot meerkat (pictured) was made to look and smell like the group by the Spy in the Wild producers. The incredible footage shows how meerkat mothers band together to raise their young, which can number as many as 18 a year

At first, the meerkats are tentative with the robot, approaching it with caution. But after a few minutes it was quickly welcomed into the fold

In the same episode another robot, this time disguised as a warthog, records the incredible friendship between real warthogs and mongoose.

It experiences the mongoose's personal grooming service as they explore every nook and cranny.

Each day, different colony member sets up a crèche to give the mothers all the childcare they could hope for

In the same episode another robot, this time disguised as a warthog (pictured) records the incredible friendship between real warthogs and mongoose, experiencing the mongoose's personal grooming service as they explore every nook and cranny

Meanwhile a robot hippo comes face to face with an angry hippo and one brave dikkop bird comes to the rescue of a crocodile to protect her eggs from marauding monitor lizards.

A walking and swimming spy crocodile finds the nest site of a real crocodile, and a robot rattlesnake helps uncover the mysteries of prairie dogs.

Spy in the Wild is the BBC's latest documentary, in which cameras are concealed within lifelike robots, tracking how animals interact with them in the wild. 

The next episode will air on BBC One at 8pm tomorrow.

Meanwhile a robot hippo comes face to face with an angry hippo and one brave dikkop bird comes to the rescue of a crocodile to protect her eggs from marauding monitor lizards

The incredible footage shows how meerkat mothers band together to raise their young, which can number as many as 18 a year

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