Hooked on Meerkat Manor?

[RecycleMichael]

I don't know how many of you watch the television channel Animal Planet, but there is a show that follows meerkats in the Kalahari desert.

It has it all, a matriarchal society where the dominant female might throw out her pregnant daughter on one show and whore around roving males the next. They fight off rival gangs for territory, take turns watching for predators, constantly raise children and live in a life and death situation almost every day. The class system is in constant turmoil and the families might show loyalty one day and leave another to die the next.

It is like watching  a show that is part "Westside Story", part "The Outsiders", and a whole bunch of Shakespeare thrown in.

It is the best reality show on television.

[sgrizzle]

Sounds like the Lohans..

[Conan71]

quote:Originally posted by recyclemichael


It is the best reality show on television.

By far.  I have to admit I teared up a little when Flower died.

[RecycleMichael]

There were hundreds of e-mails to the show upset that the people monitoring the cameras didn't intercede and get the king cobra snake out of the nest to protect the babies.

Flower died trying to save her family and the whole tribe.

[Conan71]

quote:Originally posted by recyclemichael

There were hundreds of e-mails to the show upset that the people monitoring the cameras didn't intercede and get the king cobra snake out of the nest to protect the babies.

Flower died trying to save her family and the whole tribe.

There's one part of you that wants the producers to intervene when tragedy is about to strike like the pups being eaten or carried off by hawks, but other than the cameras and locators they put on some of the meerkats, it's good they let nature take it's course.... no matter how sad it is.... sniff...

You are right, it's very addictive.

CUTESY COMMENT EDIT: If people want manipulated outcomes, they should stick with Mark Burnett-produced "reality" shows.

[sgrizzle]

quote:Originally posted by Conan71


CUTESY COMMENT EDIT: If people want manipulated outcomes, they should stick with Mark Burnett-produced "reality" shows.

I'm all for a real version of survivor.. dump a bunch of yuppies and self-proclaimed athletic people on an island and come back 30 days later. All you'll find left is the 65yr old ex-marine who gets voted of the regular show everytime.

[TheArtist]

I have only seen one episode of that Meerkat Manor. But Meerkats rock imo lol. They are officially my favorite animal. I remember a show about them years ago on PBS. There was this one part where the tribe was dying because of a drought in the area. Two little meerkats struck off on their own to try and reach another tribe in a better area. A brother and his little sister. The show was mostly about their journey. They made it through all sorts of hardship and predators, but at one point the little sister just couldnt go on from not having enough food and water. The brother meerkat kept trying to coax her along. I just about lost it when she was barely moving and dying and he kept nudging her to keep moving and she would let out these soft little squeaks, she finally died and the brother meerkat kept calling out to her. After a day or two he finally left and had to go it on his own. It was so sad.  He did make it to the other tribe and after a while was accepted and had his own little family.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vNnXc8h8nWc

And they are so cute.

[Conan71]

There are cute ones:





...and then there's Hannibal:

[AngieB]

Caught the show last night...poor little Kinkajou and Mozart. They tried so hard. []

And Wilson, where will he go now?

[Conan71]

Kinkajou ate Mozart's pups, she didn't get any pity out of me.  Too bad Mozart couldn't make it back to the Whiskers.

[AngieB]

I didn't know that about Kinkajou. I have only watched bit and pieces -- ten minutes here and there. It was after y'all started talking about it, I began to get kind of interested.

[Conan71]

They aren't kidding when they say it's like the Sopranos of the animal world, I was going so say, more like the Corleones.