VLADIMEER, Carfax and and Scooby – these are just some of names suggested for the three baby meerkats adopted by the Oxford Mail.

Earlier this month we asked readers to help us name our newly-adopted meerkats. And you did not disappoint.

Our postbag has been bulging with ideas for naming the three furry creatures at the Cotswold Wildlife Park, near Burford, who are enjoying a surge in interest thanks to a TV advertising campaign.

We have whittled the entries down to a shortlist of 10 names, and want your votes to pick the three winners.

The finalists include Moppy.com, suggested by Grace Davies, aged three, from Kidlington, and Pumpkin, from Emily Ward, aged four, from Carterton.

The Oxford Mail decided to adopt four meerkats and help support conservation and breeding programmes at the park.

We have named one Osney, after Osney Mead, in Oxford, the home of our head office.

Last month we reported that visitors to the park were flocking to the park’s meerkat enclosure, thanks to the exploits of Aleksandr Orlov and his TV adverts for insurance comparison website comparethemarket.com Margaret Marsh, the Oxford Mail’s newspaper sales manager, first came up with the idea of adopting the animals and for the naming competition.

She said: “Meerkats have really captured the public’s imagination through the advert, and we’re delighted to be able to run this competition.

“We have taken Osney as our mascot, and the other three meerkats will no doubt prove equally popular.

“It would be great to see as many people as possible voting in the competition and helping us decide the final three names.”

We need you to pick your three favourite names from the 10 on the shortlist below and email them to dhearn@oxfordmail.co.uk or post them to Dan Hearn, Meerkat Name, Oxford Mail, Newspaper House, Osney Mead, Oxford, OX2 0EJ.

The three names which get most votes will be the winners. The closing date for votes is Monday, October 26.

  • The 10 shortlisted names suggested for our meerkats are, in alphabetical order:
  • Beryl the Peril – suggested by Margaret Morris, of Littlemore
  • Botley – Liz Bird, of Carterton
  • Carfax – Michelle Sewell, of Abingdon
  • Marple – Abbi Gizzi,of Oxford
  • Moppy.com – Grace Davies, aged three, of Kidlington
  • Pumpkin – Emily Ward, aged four, from Carterton
  • Scooby – Victoria Lowkins, from Oxford
  • Spire – Patricia Pulford, of Kidlington
  • Tinkerbell – S Stewart,of Witney
  • Vladimeer – Alison Birchall, of Oxford