Yo

We did not want to keep this sad news to ourselves and agreed we should not wait until the LH appears in May.

Sadly a few days ago, Rocket Dog, dominant female of the Whiskers was killed on the main road by a vehicle.

RIP little lady.

Pronker

Perhaps her journey was meant to simply be to keep the family heading in the right direction and this she did and we will see it in Season 4.

WHAT?!

NO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Flowers brave daughter battled a snake bite and won. She led the whiskers thru tough times and made it out the other side.

To be dealt such a blow by a vehicle is terrible. One person who just came back from the KMP mentioned how it scared her to see the meerkats just run across the road.

Flower will be on the other side welcoming another daughter home. Lets pray for the next dominat female to have again the strenght and courage her mother and siblings have shown.

I write this thru the tears, I am very saddened by todays new. This is life in the Kalahari but it doesn't make it any easier to take.

Poor Dear, Dear Rocket Dog!
How very sad!

We didn't get to know her very well, but I know that she tried her best to be a good leader and she was . Rest in peace Dear One!

Eruth

I am very sad Rocket Dog was one of my favorites and I will miss her terribly. I hope her two pups grow up to be big and strong.

R.I.P. Rocket Dog...

where did you find this?

Sad news for sure.

One of the memories that sticks in my mind was after the group split when the Whiskers became united again. Rocket Dog readily submitted to Flower. After that, I always thought of Rocket Dog as being Flower's hand-picked successor. Maybe that's not possible in the meerkat world, but that is what it felt like. Now Rocket is with Flower, and she has left Nugget and Beaker to continue her legacy in the Kalahari.

RIP Rocket Dog.

I am totally devastated about poor Rocket Dog! She was my current favorite and I was so rooting for her to overcome all the adversity she was up against, and to be struck down by a car is just a total shock! I guess even the road is another part of the Kalahari's dangers the kats have to live with.
RIP Rocket Dog, you are loved....at least now you get to be with your Mom and sisters and all the others who have gone before you.

Thank you pronker for the news, i have tears streaming down my face when i read this, rest in peace Rocket Dog.

What a blow this news is coming so soon after the death of Flower. Yet her death is not a total surprise to me because in my heart I never saw Rocket Dog as being the long term DF of the Whiskers.

One can only imagine the state of the Whiskers now that they have lost 2 DF's in a little over a year. So very sad to say the least. So many kats seem to lose their lives on the roads there. Just like here in the US.

RIP Rocket Dog. I'm sorry your time to shine was cut so short and by such tragic means. I will always remember you and what you did for Axel as well as the Whiskers during their time of great loss.

No . . . . no . . . . no!
Sob, sigh, thump. (Head hitting desk!)

And I was so hoping to see her, when I got there, in just a few weeks.

I will confess with great regret that RocketDog was not my favorite meerkat. Flower was. RocketDog captured the broken hearts of those who loved Flower. I made a mistake and lost faith in the Whiskers after Flower's death. But when "A New Day" aired, I was back and ready for more. And with those broken hearts she captured she meant them back together and brought a new era to the Whiskers. She survived her snake bite. She braved Winter and saved Axel. She lead the Whiskers strongly. To hear a meerkat has died is heartbreaking. But when it was a DF it's worse.
A moment of silence to The Kalahari Desert's Sucessor!
Though the Whiskers lost RocketDog, Ella, one of RD's littermates, has taken charge. Sleep in heavenly peace, RocketDog, and never, my friends, lose faith in the family she left behind.

The queen is dead... long live the queen... best of luck to you, Ella, and your fellow Whiskers.

Thank you Pronker for sharing the very sad news, poor little Rocketdog, at least she did have a chance to shine, rest in peace little one. Good luck Ella and to the rest of the Whiskers mob.

Condolences to all the Whiskers. I hope Rocket Dog is with all her lost babies now.
I said over a year ago that they need "meerkat crossing" signs put up. Of course then the kats would have to be trained to only cross at the marked crossings.

Noodles, what is the source of your info on Ella?

Farewell Rocket Dog! What a crummy, pointless death. First we watch season 3 knowing Flower is gone, now we will sit through season 4 watching, what I hope will be a living tribute to a departed friend!

I'M REALLY BEGINNING TO HATE THAT LOUSY ROAD! And yes, in my mind the expletives are a lot stronger than "lousy"! Anyone feel like erecting some major league speedbumps on that road??

This is terrible news. RocketDog became my favorite after Flower died. We were talking about her only a day or two ago, and about her adoption of Axel. We wanted to see photos of her on the FKMP site.

Pronker , I want to thank you for sharing that information with us. It makes my heart so heavy to hear it. I had such hopes for RD. I'm crying all over again. She had big shoes to fill and simply wasn't afforded the time to do so. What was the date, do you know?

That is actually really weird. I woke up early this morning thinking about something you said in chat and I thought about Monkulus and if she had died. I guess I had the wrong daughter, but I'm very sad to be right this time.

Say hello to your mother and sisters, Rocket Dog, we miss all of you!

Yes, ZTM, let's go over and create some big speed bumps. I wonder if that will fit in a suitcase.

I am so stunned by this news. What else can happen to those poor little creatures? They try so hard and struggle so much and to get hit by a car. HOW DEVASTATING!!!!!!

How will AP show this? I hope that they just have a tribute to her and then move forward. I do not think I can see another death, but we must pay tribute...Poor RD...she tried so hard to have her babies and yet she was able to have only 2. That means 2 that will carry on her legacy. The opening credits will once again have to be changed.

RIP RD...You will be missed but now you are with your mom.....so very very sad....

Janelle

She was beautiful, and noble. She managed to survive a snake bite, the drought, and the fights for dominance, to end up like this...

I am fighting denial - I know it. I can't believe it! Since Flower crossed over, my favorites were Mitch, Axel, and course, Zaph. RD snuck into that catagorie when she rose to the occasion of DF when Flower led the split group, then submit to her, and then rose to the occasion again. I really thought this girl had a wonderful future ahead of her as Flower's successor and would have done a fine job. With two deaths (my little Bianca) and RD I am saddened beyond belief. Thank you, Pronker, for telling us this. It will give us time to adjust to the loss of our girl. A candle for RD.

ZTM -- This is a little off-topic, but have you read the Flower book? I don't know if it's the same road, but the book says that Cambridge University researchers working under Prof Clutton-Brock were killed in a car crash on one of those roads in the study area.

So unfortunately, meerkats aren't the only ones who have to watch out around there

I really fell in love with little RocketDog. It makes me so sad to hear this. She tried so hard to follow in Flowers footsteps. Now I'm crying

Rocket Dog looked so much liked her mother Flower, a major loss for our Whiskers and us.

Who shall be Queen next?

Pronker, thank you for sharing. Our hearts are again heavy with sorrow. I guess having too much fame can be dangerous even for the little ones.

What? This is truely sad. I cannot believe this happened to such a great spirited meerkat trying to make things better for the Whiskers. Such a beautiful leader deserved a better faith then that. I read the posts on this thread and agree that there should be signs warning people that not just meerkats, but all types of animals cross these roads. I also agree with christopher9691 that AP should do a episode on Rocket Dog before the season premiere. She is with all of her family that has passed on in the last few years without any stress anymore.
RIP Rocket Dog

Well, we all know Flower is telling her how proud she is of her!

My heart began racing the minute I saw the topic "sad news" and that it was started by Pronker. The news is devastating. Suddenly the prospect of watching Season 4 is a lot sadder.

Poor little Rocket Dog. You will be missed.