Dear Athena, Thank you SO much for your answer!Although many of us did not believe the jackal story, what happened was as bad & we need to thank MM for being tasteful in their final shots.
It hurts my heart, but I'm glad to know what happened and hope next season will be more positive.
Thx again, Meeret (Loretta in MD)

Athena
Thanks so much for more information about Mozart. I couldn't even wathch all of the episode. I'm still crying about Flower. It's
a helf to talk to someone who has really been on the inside and seen them in real life.

I am not really sure about what kind of ID she had, but the book I just read states they all have chip ids like dogs and cats do..It's placed under their skin..Maybe that's how they Id' her..Thank you aida for all your info! I still think your a peach

they probably used the microchip to id her, but they could have put a collar on her after kinks passed away. They may just have removed it the days they were filming. It would be the only way to really track the last remaining Starsky girl.

Rest easy, sweetpea, no more pain, just our love to you and all those who passed this year.

hello everyone hello Athena thank you so much for all the information you have shared with us all I am new to the chat but have been a MK lover since the first episode of MM. That would be so awesome to go to the Kalahari and see our little friends BUT I am very excited to be going to the FE next year. I will be there on July 26 and Sept 7..... what a long wait but I know it will be well worth it. I am glad to see so many others who are crying these meerkat tears for Flower and Mozart The Queen and Princess of the Kalahari and for all our little friends who have passed

RIP Flower
RIP Mozart

Thanks Athena. I do hope as others do that Mozart had some companionship before her death.
Again, thanks for sharing your awesome experiences.

Oh Athena, you are quite the blessing. I am almost done with "the book" about Flower, and have read some things that have caused me to reconsider a lot...anyway...I'm sad about Miss Mozart, but was so confused about it being the jackal, as angelkisses said...why was she still there? I am hoping, and I know, she fought the good fight, which was why KMP found any of her remains in the tree. Thank you so much!

"OK, Atillahon? Should I disclose another secret? Well, maybe I will and I won't at the same time. The cameramen are never more than 3 meters away from the meerkats while filming. Let me put it this way: when we were there and the raptors in the sky saw us, they didn't get anywhere near us humans..."

This helps me also. I too couldn't help but wonder. I truly believe the raptors would have been repelled by the presence of a camera crew, so she was not being photographed when taken.

At work this morning one of my techs stuck her head in my office and said "condolences on the death of Mozart". Couldn't stop the tears.

Thanks again athena for sharing your experiences.

Athena, I too thank you for the truth of Mozarts death. I was also curious about why a jackle would leave its kill- unless it was interrupted- the raptor makes more sense.
I still cant believe sweet little Mozart is gone...and so soon after Flower. The
story woven around her last days did soften the loss a little.

Hi, Friends,
It's so nice to see how many people love Mozart.
145KRZ, yes they were always aware of her whereabouts.
And meerkats in the wild are smaller than our squirrels. So, it would be easy for raptors to take the adults.
Jenny, when the story was relayed to me at KMP, I was told that they found the radiocollar. Now, Zaphod didn't have a radiocollar on in the program, but he does wear one at KMP. They had probably placed them on Mozart and Zaphod after the filming.
Eldn, there are lots of meerkat mobs at KMP. But, KMP only has the "manpower" to habituate 14 groups at a time. Remember, I had said that it is a time consuming and tedious job to habituaute them. As a matter of fact, they are trying to habituate one group right now but the Dominant Female is having "issues". She doesn't like humans! Anyway, the habituated meerkats are all micro-chipped.
Aida

Athena, thank you for this information. When you mentioned that losing Mozart was a big blow to KMP, did KMP folks say what kind of hopes they'd had for her at that point as a lone female? We know the odds against her at that point, but Mozart seemed like a meerkat who might beat the odds again with enough time and perserverence. Again, thanks so much for sharing your info and helping us deal with the loss of Mozart.

Hi Athena,

quote:

I was told that they found the radiocollar.

This makes sense. I thought of the microchip but couldn't imagine how they actually found it -- up in a tree, no less -- in the huge Kalahari. <SIGH> No matter how many answers we get, nothing takes the hurt away.

R.I.P, sweet Princess of the Kalahari

Thanks Again, Athena, for the fascinating insider info. and for easing our minds. Bless you!

Thank you again Athena!!!!

Sorry this was so long coming but I haven't been able to access the website for three days.

Dave in GA.

quote:

meerkats in the wild are smaller than our squirrels

How do they measure the height of a meerkat? When I read they were 12 inches tall, I assumed that meant to the shoulder as they were standing on all fours. I haven't seen any squirrels that big in my neighborhood.(thank goodness!)
Thanks Athena, for all the information you have shared with us.

With an 8 inch tail!

Hello, everyone! Looks like we're back on!

Finally I am able to log back on. I too would like to say thanks to Athena for all of her postings. It is great information. Also I appreciate all the other information that the other members have posted. As a newbie, it has given me a new perspective on what KMP and AP are doing. I certainly want to continue to support the Meerkats in anyway that I can. I am a great animal lover but before Meerkat manor I was not even aware of what a Meerkat was. Now they are part of my extended family that I certainly care about. I look forward to tonight's season finale and to Season 4. I also can hardly wait to get the book.
Love you Mozart. I know you are at peace in heaven.

quote:

Originally posted by sunshine-1:
Hello, everyone! Looks like we're back on!

Could you imagine the last episode of Season 3 and here we are locked out. Good old AP!

Welcome peanutbuddy2000 You sound like most of us. Never heard of a meerkat, now can't live without them.

FROM ATHENA:

She like so many others, is unable to get onto AP at this time and has asked me to relay this message to you.

She will keep trying though, so hopefully you will hear from her soon.

Thank you!! Enjoy tonight's final episode of this very, very long season!!

Finally it looks like we are able to get back on today. I would really like to that Athena for all the info that she has shared with us and for answering so many questions. Her info has really put in perspective the work that KMP is doing. It's hard for us to lose Mozart and I can only imagine what a big blow it was the KMP researchers. Again Athena, thanks again for the truth about Mozart's death, it helps to answer lingering questions.
ccatsz, it helps to know that the camerman kept the raptors in the sky away, so at least we know that there was probably nothing they could have done (but it still hurts, just as bad).

It will always hurt. I could not watch the repeat tonight.

I have only watched two MM episodes ever and I was devastated by both (Len & Squiggy was one though on Canadian AP their names were Ren and Stumpy). I am going to give it a go and try watching seasons 1 and 2 on DVD and hope my emotional well being will hold up.

I have read Athena's posts with great interest and she has inspired me to follow in her footsteps and take the trip to South Africa. I intend to go next September.

Thanks for sharing, Athena.

ccatz, i know what you mean.. I was not able to watch the repeat tonight either!

Glad to hear I am not the only one that could not get on. I thought it was just me and started to panic. Since Flower's death I have been on the forum constantly and knowing there are so many that share my love for the MM and all out beloved meerkats makes all this a little easier to bare. Now, I would not know what to do without this forum.
I could not watch this repeat of last weeks episode but tuned in just in time to see poor Mozart's body...the tears started to fall again. I am so saddened by the split of the Whiskers. To know they will now fight each other hurts my heart. And, I was actually rooting for the Zappa tonight; not because I wanted any of the Whiskers to get hurt or worst but because I couldn't have handled it if those poor little Zappa babies were killed. Too much death and heartache this season.

Yes, thanks, Athena! I posted this on the wrong thread, so here it is:

for what it's worth, that i'm glad Mozart had a collar. It set her apart, and allowed her to attract roving males. If she had succeeded long enough to start a family, Mozart would have accomplished something special, another special accomplishment to add to a very long list.

Do you think that might have been possible? I'm thinking she probably had more than one roving male come by, but then why no pregnancy? maybe not healthy enough, eh? And no pregnancy would leave them free to roam, too, huh? I wonder if she was pregnant at the end.

The more i think about it, the more i think she just barely missed becoming one of the first(?) meerkat females to lose her family, start from scratch, and almost start a new family. Stupid Whiskers for not taking her back. Her collar, while beneficial, i believe, might have deterred other mob females from accepting her, too?

I'm getting the DVDs. Just for Mozart. Lola & Sophie impressed me tonight--and May