These mysterious golden meerkat statues have appeared on Leith Links

The appearance of five giant golden meerkats in the Leith Links on Monday has left locals scratching their heads.

The mysterious papier-mache sculptures, which sit atop white plinths, are thought to be a piece of community artwork.

However, neither the City of Edinburgh Council, nor the Leith Links Community Council are exactly sure where the 6-feet-tall figures materialised from.

Craig Salter, a local songwriter from Leith, stumbled across the enigmatic works of art on Monday.

The 34-year-old told the Evening News: “I was out walking in Leith Links and I could see some gold objects on a mound from the other side of the park.

“As I moved closer I was sure they looked like meerkats all standing in a group,” he explained.

“I think that’s what they are! It seems like a bit of a mystery as to where they came from, but I really like that.

“It brightened up a bit of a bleak day to find them, so I think they’re great!”

The appearance of five giant golden meerkats on Leith Links on Monday has left locals scratching their heads. (Credit: Craig Salter)

The mystery has intrigued several local residents on social media, with debate raging over whether the figures are meerkats, badgers or otters.

One Twitter user told followers: “Loving the fabulous gold meerkats on Leith Links.

“The vibrant artwork really brightened my day and looked stunning in the beautiful January sunshine.”

Another wrote: “Some lovely person or persons made a family of badgers made of GOLD that are all standing up on Leith Links.”

“Nobody knows why but last night a circle of paper-mache meerkats were erected on Leith Links.

“People are coming from miles around to stare and ponder,” wrote a third.

A spokesperson for Leith Links Community Council confirmed that the group were not certain where the sculptures had come from.

City of Edinburgh Council, too, said it was not aware of the golden animals, but a spokesperson added that they were looking into the matter.

Did you create the giant golden meerkat sculptures on Leith Links?

Do you know the secret behind the meerkat mystery - or know who sculpted them and why?

Get in touch with the Edinburgh Evening News on Twitter at @edinburghpaper, or email our reporter at [email protected].

A message from the Editor:

Thank you for reading this article. We're more reliant on your support than ever as the shift in consumer habits brought about by coronavirus impacts our advertisers.

If you haven't already, please consider supporting our trusted, fact-checked journalism by taking out a digital subscription.