I watched the episode of Flower's death last night. It's been almost 24 hours but I still can't help but to burst into tears at the very thought of Flower. I heard the old Pat Benatar song "We Belong" today and just started balling my eyes on the part where she sings about "doing your best to try and watch the family" My family & co-workers thought I was nuts to be this upset over her death. Please tell me I'm not alone to still be this upset? When will it start getting easier?

yes, I am still crying, after 5 days. I can't stop. I don't think I will ever forget Flower,
ever. Animals have always meant more to me than humans, and in my will, if anything remains, I have left it all to preserving endangered species.
My screen name on one website is and has been for years, Meerkat, and I know if my mother were alive, she'd be crying too.
Many of my friends are also still crying.
It was so horrible, yet look what we as humans are doing to this planet, and how much damage we have done to so many creatures, and continue to do so, in the last 120 yrs or so.
It's disgraceful how we take this planet and all it's natural beauty, flora and fauna, and just pay no attention.
My grandchildren will, I fear, not see many of the creatures I have always loved, and seen, since I have traveled to Africa and other places and have taken thousands of photographs.
We must - just must - take care of this planet.
Just as Flower took care of those around her,
so must we follow in her footsteps and take care of the planet she inhabited so wonderfully.

Yes, I am still crying. I love the Meerkats, but Flower the most! She was like a diamond in the ruff. I never thought she would go out like that. I have been watching the show since it first began, and each time they lose a Meerkat, either an adult or pup, I cry. I know if I was the camera person filming the show, I would be fired by now. Because I would have stopped the snake from going into the den. I wish the people could intervene, but I know it is just their jobs to bring us nature as is. But it doesn't make it any easier. I will miss her dearly and she won't be forgotten here!!

Yes....

Absolutely, yes, I am still crying and have been since last Friday when I saw the episode where Flower passed. I am still overcome with such grief over Flower and cry morning and night. Please do not feel that you are out of place or are different. You are quite fine and among friends who have opened themselves to caring, compassion, and a deep abiding love for Flower. It is my hope that I can carry forward that same spirit of compassion, caring and bravery in the world that Flower exhibited and extend it to my human and animal friends, companions and strangers.

Add me to the list.....

I am glad for this forum because there is no way you can explain to those not captivated by this show and it's little heroes that you can understand what losing the little queen has meant to us...

I am only glad that I was prepared last Friday night because our cable company in it's "On Demand" feature had a "REMEMBERING FLOWER" show listed in it's Animal Planet selections a few days before the episode aired. When I saw t THAT I had to find out what happened. I knew there was a "Fansite" and got on here and did some research because I thought NO WAY could that mean what I KNEW it meant! I almost didn't watch it but I did...I read on the UK SPOILER site that it would show her after she was bitten and folks were VERY UPSET at her appearance...but I still cryed my eyes out...I can't imagine if it was sprung on me without warning!

I have only one criticism of the way this season was handled by AP..and that is WHY OH WHY are all those humorous advertisements for the MeerKat Manor shows being aired? Such as the Britney Spears one with Mozart? and before that Carlos? Also some of the previews such as the one for the show where Len and Squiggy perish lead viewers to believe it will be a humorous episode... then the little guys DIE. I don't think the show is all gloom and doom but come on, don't make it look like it will be a laugh a minute, when it isn't going to be! YIKES!

I will continue to watch the show and look forward to things looking up for the gangs. My sympathies also are with those down in the trenches in Africa trying to do their jobs objectively, while getting to know the little creatures personally.

As my 10 year old daughter and I watched the events unfolding, I swallowed hard and held back the tears for the (then) senseless logic that it just didn't make sense to feel SUCH emotion for a wee TV creature half a world away.

When our 8 yr. old dog died I grieved terribly, cried for weeks and my daughter hurt badly - especially when she saw me crying - she can't stand to see my cry - it makes her even more sad. This time, with little Flower, I wanted to show "strength" and comfort for my grieving child so I let her cry even though I was bawling inside and had (in her words "very shiny eyes"). I let her know how sad I am but no tears rolled down my face - until now. She's at school and I've finally let down my reserve. The tears are endless, the sadness for the death of this little Kat, and for the researchers and film crew, immense.

We love you Flower - the show will NEVER be the same. It's good to cry. Tears are part of being human.

Yes like a Baby,Love them all so much.

I missed Fridays episode and just found out last night that Flower died. I sat here staring at the computer in shock. After I watched the episode on the computer I just started crying. So you are not alone in missing Flower. I have watched the show since the first episode and I really liked Flower. Flower will be sorely missed.

I cried alot when Flower died. I loved her so much. She was an awsome leader. I don't think any other meerkat will be as good as her. I will miss her so. Marcie

sighn me up. seeing the calouge of happy pictures and i quoate "for four years, flower has been the whiskers faithful dominant. (pause) from humble begings, she created was of the largest, close knit families on the manor. (face close-up of flower) the desert has lost its favorite rose." i still crie and ive been home three days severely ill from so much bawling. though it helps to talk about it.

trust me, your not alone. i still cry. i lost my first puppy in car accidentin 2004. flower has the same big beautiful eyes. she will be missed. the part where they say, she was a noble mother, made me cry the most. our beautiful flower is going over the rainbow bridge. RIP desert rose. flower power forever.

Still Upset... Always Will Be, I Bet.

I'm so glad that I have found others that are not ashamed to say that they have cried day and night for Flower. I'm crying as I write this message. She was my favorite Meerkat. Her death has affected me so badly that I don't think I can continuing viewing MM. I'm truly trying to remember all the bravery and love she gave to her family, but just to know that she suffered has hit me hard. I will forever miss Flower.

I don't know when, or even if it gets easier.
Just remember your tears are in deference to a worthy presence in our lives.

I didn't watch Friday's episode until yesterday afternoon, and my tears have not stopped flowing every time I think about Flower.
As soon as the tragedy occured, I began sobbing uncontrollably. All I kept saying was please no, not Flower. I was in disbelief .
Flower was amazing, a true loving mother and fine leader. How brave she was to save her pups and sacrifice her life. I watched the episode several times, hoping the ending would change, but knowing it wouldn't. Each time I saw it I cried even more. I am still very sad , and the thought of flower being gone ,brings tears to my eyes and sorrow to my heart. Flower was and always will be a beautiful rose. I have vowed if I get another kitten, I will name her Flower, in Flower's honor. She will never be forgotten. I will miss Flower always. Her spirit will live on forever. Clay b

I'm also there with the kleenex box!!!!!! I didn't see the episode until Monday and then again on Tue the computer and I still cry for Flower!!!! I forgot to tape the Friday episode and Comcast had it on its news page by Sunday and that is how I found out. I am soooo upset but nature takes it course and we can't change it. I'm also crying for my 16 year old long hair black cat that I had to send to Kitty Heaven. Two animals lost in 1 week is no fun. So pass the kleenex's please.

Askier I am so sorry about the loss of your baby. As if that wasn't bad enough, then Flower. I didn't realize how attached I was to Flower until she was gone. Mozart has always been my favorite so that episode is gonna be even worse. I feel as bad as when I had to send my last baby to the rainbow bridge and have been crying and sad since Sat morning. I knew a couple of weeks in advance but it didn't help much. I came to the forum after Sqiggy. I just could not get that poor baby's cries out of my head so I came to the forum to talk about it. Saw the from the producers thread read it and just cried. Too much death to take at one time. Every time I see a yellow rose I will think of our Flower. Oh that we all could be as human as she.

Can't stop crying. My tears flow like the flooded Kalahari after a hard rain. I choke up just picturing her sweet face in my mind. God I miss her so......

YES,I will cry for Her (and others) When you love it hurts..

Yes, I am still crying, however, we all need to remember that Flower is with God and all of her babies that she has lost and I'm sure she is Queen of the Heaven's Meerkats..

I'm still crying too and it's been 5 days. All I have to do is see her picture or just think about her and I tear up again. At work, in the car, in the grocery store. This is exactly what I did when my own pet died. I cried every time I thought about him for months. I guess I grew to love Flower as much as I did my own pet, and I'm grieving her just like I did my own pet. The horrible way she died certainly does not help. I wish the researchers could have euthanized her or something simply to alleviate her pain. She didn't deserve that kind of death. I guess no animal does though. I know it's the circle of life, but when you've grown attached to something, it's just so difficult to witness the brutality that nature can dish out.

I cried too when the little pup with the disfigured paw was left in the desert all by himself to die. Couldn't they have taken him to a sanctuary where he would be cared for the rest of his life? They probably could have fixed his foot surgically. Did he have to be left out there to die of hunger or to be eaten by something? It's just so sad.

I guess it's good I'm not a researcher because I could not resist the urge to help in a dire situation where the outcome could be changed for the better.

Yes, yes, yes. For all the animals lost in cruel or brutal ways. I've been an advocate for animals for many years and have waited outside cars for people to come out of stores to tell them not to leave their pet inside the car while they shop. Let's use our love for the Meerkats to also help others. Some are right within our reach.

You are not alone. I watched in disbelief a couple of days ago and I have been crying off and on ever since (I'm crying while I'm typing) . I haven't been able to watch as regularly as I'd like, but Flower was my hero. Her staunch determination and loyalty saved her family time and time again. Her courage held true to the end. She died a valiant death protecting something that was, to her, worth paying the ultimate price to protect. Don't worry about what other people think about you (easier said than done, I know). You care about something more than just your own interests...that shows a generous heart. I also think that if your family and associates watched the show, they would care too, because the death of someone who has such a courageous, generous spirit is a great loss to the world...and it doesn't matter if it's a human being or one of our animal friends.

Absolutely, yes. Five days later I still cry every time I think about our sweet Flower.

I've always thought of Mozart and Shakespeare as my favorites, so I was completely caught off guard at how deeply Flower's passing affected me - but I'm hurting just as much for her as I did when my own dog was ripped from my life by a speeding car. That was almost two years ago, and yet grieving for Flower has brought all that pain right back up to the surface.

It's so amazing that such a little creature from halfway across the world can touch so many hearts in such a deep and meaningful way...it's almost enough to give me hope for a planet that humankind has so callously used for so long.

Here's to happier times for the Whiskers and the Starskys. I love them all, and even though this has been a difficult season, I will continue to watch and root for their success. And I'm sure when the movie comes out, I'll cry all the way through...

Yes, I was hysterical on Friday night after the show, and here it is Wednesday evening, and I'm choking up still. I cried for little Squiggy too, that sweet little thing... just like so many of you, I would not last one day as a researcher, because I would've picked up Squiggy and cared for him, and I would've relocated that snake...

I think that if I were an actress, all I'd have to do to conjure up some tears is to think of Flower!
I don't know which scene got me the most: the scene of her doubled over with the swollen head, her lying next to the burrow or the final freeze-frame shot of her as Queen.

I'm still crying as I'm sure many others are. Flower was the Rose of the Kalahari. It is painful to watch Journey's End. It also breaks my heart about Carlos' death.

YES I CRIED AND STILL SO VERY UPSET AND CHOKED UP INTO TEARS EVERY TIME I THINK ABOUT IT..FLOWER WAS WONDERFUL..I SEEN THIS EPISODE OVER THE LAST 5 DAYS 4 TIMES AND I WILL WATCH ON FRIDAY AGAIN...SHE WAS THE DESERT ROSE..THE QUEEN OF MEERKATS...AND NO ONE CAN REPLACE HER...SHE WILL NEVER BE FORGOTTEN..RIP

Add me to the list.... I cannot read a post here without bursting into tears. i've said it once here already I never thought I would/could be so moved by a twelve inch little creature from half way around the world. I am just so thankful for this forum. Flower, our iron lady who had a soft underbelly sometimes, you have touched my heart forever. May you rest in peace and know we all can't wait to see you again.

What is so heartbreaking is that during Flower's stellar reign as Queen, she had to die that way. She gave it her all for her family and she winds up dying a tragic death. To see her face swollen up like that... However, I remember her romping around with her family during her final hours. That is the picture I plant firmly in my mind when I think of her.

Yes i have been crying since the show aired. I feel so sad like a peice of my heart has a big hole in it. I thought that i was crazy for crying for the last 5 days. It makes me feel better that i am not the only one that has been crying. It just goes to show how special Flower and the whole meerkat clan is to me and everyone on here.

My gosh, I also couldn't get thru these posts dry-eyed either. I'm amazed at how much this has affected me. I have to tell friends about it, even who aren't familiar with the program. Actually, I only discovered it in the past few months myself, & was immediately captivated. I had only caught the tail-end of the episode on Fri, so had to search thru the schedule to find when the repeats were coming along so I could catch it all. I sat there in dis-belief: NO!, this could not be happening; the hero is supposed to always make it thru. Bless her little heart; she has impacted an untold number of people with her courage, bravery, love, selflessness, & determination. I thought it was so beautiful & amazing, & fitting that she had just recently adopted the little orphan. It's another example of her incredible nature. I am mesmerized by the whole Meerkat phenomenom--they are amazing, smart, clever, devoted---& a whole bunch of other admirable things that we humans would do well to learn for ourselves!

My husband and I don't speak without crying about Flower. We are anxious to see her off spring grow and to become the next leaders of the manor. It is our light at the end of the tunnel so to speak. I cannot think of Flower and not cry. I even wrote a poem for her. She will always be missed. I am tearing as I write and I so very compasionate about all life, ESPECIALLY OUR WILDLIFE!

Yes, still crying; and reading your posts and crying some more :-{ Thank you all for helping me with your posts; you express how I feel and will feel forever about Flower. It won't be so raw and close to the surface after awhile, but the sadness will always be there, and I'm sure I'll cry some more when 'Life on the Kalahari' continues. MaryJane

I'm still crying too - feels like a hole in my heart. Time will help but it won't make us forget (and I wouldn't want to). Who would imagine a little creature on the other side of the world could reach through the television to have such impact. Flower was amazing - a good model to live by.

This is the fifth day since, crying a little less, hurt a little less. But the first four days were tremendously sorrowful But are all these pains worth it to have known and loved Flower and the Whiskers? You bet!

Yes. Maybe if I see her legacy live on I will feel better, I hope. I also can not believe how it has made me feel. Thanks guys

Hello all I'm a new "rover" here to pay my respects to Flower. I can't get the image out of my mind of poor Flower. I can't help but think that someone could have chased off that snake and save us all the greif of watching our little hero die such a death. I've seen many other shows save animals , treating wounds and sending some to sanctuarys instead of letting them die from wounds or from being abandoned. If we can give them a watering hole why cant a few humane things be done to save them?? Snakes eat Meerkats so nothing new to watch one do that. Flower was a true leader a noble meerkat and a brave mother. I can't help but cry to think of what happen to her. Life is tough.

I am still devastated. I watched it again on Mon. and balled my eyes out again. It just hits me. I feel like I knew her so well even though I spent one night a week with her. It is so comforting to know that others are hurting and mourning the loss of Flower. I thought people would think I was crazy. Even if they did, I don't care. We all need to help each other through this difficult time.

There is a Museum in Oklahoma City that has many a animal who, in its life, did something out of the ordinary. It earned the privelage to be buried there by an act that was extraordinary. "Flower" will never be placed to rest there, but she has earned that privelage.

Still Crying, You Bet, I wonder how it is going to be come Friday.
It will be hard to see the Whiskers without Flower. Guess we all will cry again. I have two pups, one 12 yrs and one 6 yrs. The loss of Flower has brought home that one day they to will gone.

Flower will forever be in my mind and in my heart. Long live the memory of the Noble Queen.

Yes, I am still crying 6 days later, every time I think of Precious Flower. I am just amazed at the number of lives here who have been touched by our amazing Desert Rose!!! I take from Flower life lessons, in love, devotion, leadership, courage, strength, selflessness, and loyalty!!! Thanks to all others so willing to express their own sense of loss of this precious animal across the many miles. Godspeed Precious Flower!!! You are sorely missed!!

A perfect song for Flower:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tjHkj-uSt_Y

DESERT ROSE
Words and music by Sting

I dream of rain
I dream of gardens in the desert sand
I wake in vain
I dream of love as time runs through my hand

I dream of fire
Those dreams that tie two hearts that will never die
And near the flames
The shadows play in the shape of the mans desire

This desert rose
Whose shadow bears the secret promise
This desert flower
No sweet perfume that would torture you more than this

And now she turns
This way she moves in the logic of all my dreams
This fire burns
I realize that nothings as it seems

I dream of rain
I dream of gardens in the desert sand
I wake in vain
I dream of love as time runs through my hand

I dream of rain
I lift my gaze to empty skies above
I close my eyes
The rare perfume is the sweet intoxication of love

I dream of rain
I dream of gardens in the desert sand
I wake in vain
I dream of love as time runs through my hand

Sweet desert rose
Whose shadow bears the secret promise
This desert flower
No sweet perfume that would torture you more than this

Sweet desert rose
This memory of hidden hearts and souls
This desert flower
This rare perfume is the sweet intoxication of love

Yes, still crying after all these days and 1Flowerfan, thanks so much for these beautiful words from the song, as I had planned to do this when I heard it driving home from work yesterday afternoon. I pulled the car over and just wept. It feels so comforting to be in the company of everyone here who is still grieving. I feel it will take weeks, maybe months for the sadness to subside. Still crying...still crying.

Well, I must say that I thought I had just about stopped this spontaneous tearing up until I came to this site again ! But I guess it's better for me to cry here in front of the computer than at work. If your a 58 year old, male, water plant operator, it's kind of hard to explain a sudden crying spasm. It's very comfortig though, to come to these forums and see there are a LOT of oter people who felt the same about that little kat. I appreciate all of ya'll! Dave in GA.

Yes and my husband walked out of the room when Flower pasted away. I think it really bothered him more than he would like to admit.

It is amazing how people from all over can become so attached to such a small critter and how such a small critter can have an impact on people.

To the Noble Queen, one can only hope to be as passionate in life as you were.

Yes I am still crying about Flower,it broke my heart to lose her.I also wonder why the crew who filmed this did not try to save her....She was the queen of the desert and a wonderful Mom and leader...

Yes, still crying ... It came as a total shock. God keep Flower.

Yes. Every time I close my eyes, I can still hear the words, "she receved a fatial bite to the head". With those words, my heart froze, then broke. It has been almost a week now and my heart still crys for the brave little creature that became such a joy to me.