I'm the producer for the Meerkat Manor website. (Hi!) We're sending a film crew out to the Kalahari in a few weeks to get some behind-the-scenes footage (plus a few other surprises). While they're out there, they will have the opportunity to ask the researchers all about the 'kats, the study, whatever!
Instead of coming up with my own boring questions, I wanted to ask YOU, the fans, what you'd like to know. We'll ask anything within reason and choose the best 10-12 responses for a mini-video gallery when the new season starts (in June 2008).
Keep in mind that we can't reveal any major storylines in Season 4, so not every question can be answered, but feel free to ask anyways. Also, remember that these are researchers, not the film crew, so although they're familiar with the filmmaking process they aren't necessarily experts in that area.
This is very spur of the moment so we only have a small window in which to collect questions (less than a day!) So tell all your fellow Meerkat Manor friends to jump on the boards and fire off questions.
Thanks!
Jason Robey Interactive Producer Animal Planet.com
I'd like to know who or what is the determining factor in removing the radio-tracking collar from a fully habituated meerkat of a group and placing it onto a semi-habituated member instead? It would seem as though an unhabituated or semi-habituated meerkat would be far less likely to stay within the confines of the KMP project area. Doesn't prior research confirm this, or had this never been researched before. This is primarily in response to the disappearance of both Mau Mau and Tina Sparkle of the Hoax group. This seems like a rather foolish blunder on the part of the research team, but if they have factual data to support this as being proper protocol, then it will certainly make it much easier to swallow. THANK YOU!
this is one that has been bothering me ever since i saw this meerkat....
How did Hannibal Commando/ Jim Bob Vivian lose his left eye?
i have been wondering this for like, ever! he is one of my favorites and this has bothered me for ever!
this is a second one that is more, hard and a little scary to think about but needs to be answered.
If the Whiskers die out, will the research teams document a different group? such as one that has been featured on MM or one that was founded by the whiskers?
Hi Jason, This is so exciting! I have so many questions I don't know where to start! I'll have to give this some thought. Thanks for giving us this opportunity to fine out even more about our beloved kats
Hey everyone, just checking in. Thanks for all of your great questions so far. I'll answer a few of your questions for me when I have a bit more time, but until then I wanted to throw out the idea of you asking questions where we can SHOW you the answer. We'd like to make these as visually interesting as possible, so we'll give special preference to questions where the answer can be something visual (like a mini-tour of a certain area of the Manor, for example). I'll leave it to you all to decide what you want us to show you. Some things will be within reason, some won't, but we'll do what we can to give you a behind-the-scenes look at the series.
Thanks!
Jason Robey Interactive Producer Animal Planet.com
We all know that the saying in real estate is "location, location, location", so which group of meerkats, do the researchers think, has the best location for their territory? Is there anything really special about one particular group's territory?
Thanks for doing this. I'm looking forward to seeing the results.
Teenagers seem "irresponsible." What is the process that carries them into responsible adulthood? It seems to me that "just age" doesn't quite answer this question. But, rather, there's some kind of acceptance by the other meerkats and expectation.
Thank You for this opportunity to take our questions right to the researchers.
I would like to know if the veterinarian that is working along with the KMP researchers is any closer to the answer to the TB problem plaguing the mobs, and is he developing a vaccination? Have they figured out how it got into the meerkat population, since they carry and are being decimated by both the bovine and human types.
A question for you and Oxford films...I would also love to know when and if the "Flower the Queen of the Kalahari" Movie is going to be released in the United States!! I'm waiting!!
And one for the Producers of the Meerkat Manor Series: Are there plans to make any other groups the focus study for the Meerkat Manor series, since the Whisker's group has dwindled to only 12 or so members.
Again, Thank You for this opportunity! Peace Love & Meerkats Christine
Many thanks to MM for their interest in their viewers.
My question is as follows:
Would they ever concern expanding the territory that they currently research? We know of many kats that have left the area, and perhaps they did not go so far out. Perhaps they still could have been followed and studied.
Are they still doing research on the meerkats vocal calls? I am very interested in knowing how they figure out what a call means.
With so many meerkats going from one group to another group, being evicted, and leaveing the area, do they think it has anything to do with the death of Flower?
I'd also like to know more about how the adults teach the pups to forage, babysit, and keep watch.
Season 3's scenes were particularly stunning and startling. The scene of Rocket Dog giving birth above ground and the sad scenes of Lola and Flower with the poisonous snake bites were heartbreaking and honest.
But the scenes that really grabbed me this year were the action scenes of the kats war dancing or pronking up a storm. Did the cameramen have to do anything special to capture those scenes? It looked like they may have been on the ground and yet the meerkats were moving very fast.
Also will we see more of Zaphod's Roving coalition?
To the researchers: Is there any meerkat behavior that still baffles you completely?
Jason, many have been asking for a behind the scenes look at Meerkat Manor and I thank you and Oxford Films for taking the time to do this. It's sure to be a hit!
Some of the meerkats are bitten by snakes. What are some of the circumstances that this occurs in? Have any of the researchers or camera crew sustained cape cobra or puff adder snake bites? (my #1 question) When out in the field, what do the researchers and the camera crew watch out for to detect these snakes?
Hi Jason, thanks for giving us this special treat!
If possible I would like to see some more of how the groups interact with each other,like maybe when one group's male are away from the group and another group's males move in. Also would like to see the kids/families when they are playing, or even going after another group, in slow motion (I saw this (playing) on another show and was really fun to watch). The kats are so fast we miss alot of it.
