Four dwarf mongoose pups curiously explored their new enclosure at a zoo in Vienna, Austria.

Footage shows the tiny creatures keeping each other close as they observed their shelter at Schonbrunn Zoo.

They ventured out of their burrow in an artificial termite ground while caretakers watched them.

Curator Dr Eveline Dungl said: ‘Dwarf mongooses have an exciting social system. They live sociably in small groups. As a rule, only the highest-ranking female bears offspring. However, everyone helps with rearing.'

Even as adults, dwarf mongooses are tiny, weighing just 300 grams with nursing period for the pups nearly over.

Animal keeper Anja Kienast Doppler said: ‘The little ones are already trying everything on the menu: minced beef, eggs, vegetables, fruit, and especially insects.

‘This shows that they are small predators, because they are already enthusiastically chasing crickets.'

To keep the mongooses active, keepers hide food in bamboo tubes and boxes, encouraging natural foraging behaviour.

In the zoo's East Africa House, the mongooses share their space with blanket-billed toucans, who are also raising offspring this season.