Ok, let me get this straight, Flower kicked Mozart out because the Whiskers family is getting to big. She also killed Mozart's pups. That was mean. Flower needs to go to a therapist or something.

Sincerly,
SophieFan101

It would be tough for Flower to go to a therapist because: 1.meerkats don't have therapists. 2. Flower died back in 2007.
It is normal for dominant females to evict subordinate females. Especially the ones who are old enough to mate. When the DF is pregnant is usually when they evict sf's. The DF doesn't want to compete for the groups time and resources. She wants her own pups to have the best chance of survival. Also, a pregnant sf might kill the DF's pups for the same reason. Thus, the sf is a threat and is therefore evicted by the DF. It might seem mean, but the DF wants to stay on top. This is the way it is in meerkat society.

All dominant females do this. I used to think it was cruel, too, but after a while, I came to understand.

Meerkat society is studied and filmed because it is a complex mixture of individuals cooperating for survival and competing for their own personal interests. Flower's aggression was actually good for Whiskers-- groups without strong dominants are in chaos, many females become pregnant but when the pups are born it is every mother for herself, and usually all but the last litter born are killed by the other pregnant females. Sometimes, no litters at all survive.

Evictions exist primarily because of the risk that pregnant subordinate females will kill the dominant's pups. It is harsh and painful to watch, but it is also painful to see what happens when a DF is too gentle with her subordinate females. Flower learned the value of eviction when her first litter as a dominant was killed by her pregnant cousins, when she failed to kick them out of the group.

What I mean by them havin therapists is just a figure of speech

true very true

ok look sophie 101 stop talking about flower like that shes the DF she suppose to do that geez just stop saying stuff like that alrite go do research on them ok...

Hmmmmm Sophiefan it sounds like you need a therapist....

Sophiefan,

All Dominant female Meerkats will evict subordinate females for having pups and will kill them sometimes! Subordinante female meerkats will sometime kill Dominante female meerkats pups. It's the way Meerkats are!
It's awful, I know, but that is the way Meerkats do.
Flower was not the only Dominate female to do this!


Eruth
P.S. I agree with you Krazy!

yeah i agree with Krazy too. and Eruth your defently rite also that is true about how it goes with DF and there daughters..

I could be wrong here, but I don't actually recall Flower killing Mozart's pups.
Her usual tactic was to evict Mozart or force her to chose between her pups and the family.
A hard choice, to be sure.
But this was the usual pattern between Flower and Mozart..
Flower had a definite tendency to give choices where many Meerkat dominants did not.
Flower also welcomed an enemy pup into the group right before her death.
An unheard of practice.
All in all...in Meerkat politics...Flower was a tough but fair and courageous leader.
She and Mozart both died in the Fall of 07...a few weeks apart, I think.
Sadly, my 2 favorites.

Flower abandoned some litters on the show, although at least sone of these instances were manufactured storylines. However, before MM started filming Flower abandoned one of Mozart's litters, and killed another around the beginning of S2 filming. Mozart gave birth early in the year when food was still scarce, I think, and Flower was unwilling to accept a rival litter. Other times when it was possible for more pups to live and keep them well-fed, she allowed litters to survive. She did what was best for her family, but always put her own pups first. This is what all dominant females do.

Flower allowed more subordinate litters to survive than many dominants. There are only a few in KMP history to rival her kindness to subordinates and pups, among them her distant cousin Grumpy (never seen on MM, although they should have filmed her group for the sake of little Fluffernutter, the clawless meerkat) and her daughter Rocket Dog, who despite many evictions also allowed many pups to live.

Flower died on January 26, 2007. Mozart followed in mid-April 2007.

Thank you VWF053. Indeed Flower was special and Rocket Dog was special.

Thanks for the info...
although I had a few facts incorrect...the bottom line is that Flower was far from having "anger issues".
In their world she was somewhat compassionate and didn't seem to relish the more violent practices that are common in the Meerkat universe.
She did what she had to do.
It's easy to judge them by our standards, but many practices are designed for their own survival...not their own bloodthirsty desires.
It's hard to watch (whether real or manufactured0 the plaintive wails of a pup like Squiggly, as he is abandoned.
But survival for all is always first and foremost.
Actually, even human beings, in our history, have been known to kill the offspring of rivals, to abandon or kill the sickly in times of hardship and to exert dominant control over the submissive.
Not so foreign from us at all.

i like flower, but she died!

Sophiefan,

Your little comment with the big smiley face is not funny!

We all loved Flower and miss her very much!


Eruth

Eruth, I agree with you 100%! Iam thinking Sophiefan is a pup, maybe she got the wrong icon? I hope so. Flower was a great leader, and she produced alot of great offspring. There is no humor in her death, only sadness. Thankfully she left us a wonderful legacy to follow.

VWF053, I agree, I wish they had filmed Grumpy and Fluffernutter too.

Flower shall be greatly missed and it is not cool to make fun of it . Rest in Peace Flower you are missed. and i also agree with KeschKeiko and VWF053 that they should have flimed them more.
-A very Mitchfan

look flower was not mean but kind she did that for a reson to tell mozart no more

We cannot hold meerkats to our own morals. They live by instinct, not by emotion. While I'm sure they do have feelings, they are wild. They do what they think is best for survival. At the time, more meerkats would have been bad for the group. Also, if the leader does not crack down to control the group a little, it will fall apart. This is why the group was in its golden age when Flower was the leader.

Attila

Omg I honestly cannot believe some of you guys. Quite being so hard on Flower! She is an ANIMAL, you cannot give her human traits as she does not think the same way that we do. Besides, Flower has been dead for over two years now. Can't we just let the little, iron lady rest in peace?

Amen to that!!!!

quote:

Hmmmmm Sophiefan it sounds like you need a therapist....

Nice one

SophieFan101, I'm pretty sure we're all tired of repeating ourselves, Flower was Driven by instinct! All meerkats are! She evicted Mozart, and many other females, to benefit the whole group! Evicting subordinates is how meerkats maintain their dominant position, and it also prevents the group from having too many pups. What's wrong with too many pups? The group can't successfully raise so many pups at one time, they need to feed themselves aswell! Eviction discourages females from breeding, besides, Flower allows them to return (except when they reach a certain age), she was actually more tolerant then most DFs.

I think you need to research a little bit more /:

And laughing at Flower's death was un-called for and utterly disgusting. She was the greatest DF on the Manor, an Iron Lady and a True Queen. Show some respect, PLEASE. -_-

Alright everyone, don't start fighting. Don't accuse SophieFan of her opinions- it can be hurtful. Please, try to talk about this in a rational, fair manor.

In my opinion, though, I LOVE FLOWER TO DEATH. She's my favorite meerkat- ever. You see SophieFan, Flower is only doing what she believes is right. All dominant females do what they believe is right for their family. And, no pups is simply a rule. Flower loves her children, we all know that. If she didn't, she wouldn't have died for them like she did. How would it look if she DIDN'T evict Mozart? That would let the family ALL die of disease once Flower couldn't control the whole of the family. It would be a foolish act not to.
She only did was she believed was right.