Thought it was sweet how little Juno stayed by RD side after she was bitten by the snake - I think it may have helped her to survive when he gave her hugs and kisses - also a meerkat could make a good hot water bottle.

I thought it was funny when they said Wilson was "a pain in the grass" to Mitch
That's almost as good as the episode where they said "going Commando suits Zorro just fine" and I got this picture in my head of meerkats in underwear

I am such a coward, I recorded all 3 episodes and haven't watched..I had to read what you all wrote before I dared watch...so thanks all...

Hey Squirrellygirly,

I was just wondering if the Meerkats had polka dotted underwear on? Lol!

Eruth

Funny....I had a vision too of meerkat in underwear. Polka dotted underwear. Too funny! Great script!

yourkiemom: I do not blame you. I had Meerkata call me after each show. How pathetic am I? I had people over and I had a kleenex box handy, but everything was ok. I loved the show. So sorry it is over. I hope there will be many more season of these cute little meerkats. They really have grown on me big time!

Janelle

I liked the "pain in the grass" comment, as well as the comment about "going Commando." That's what we need every once in a while: a bit of comic relief.

The final episode of the night was very painful. First, the collar. Then, at the end, Rocket Dog suffering, but surviving somehow. In between, the fight for Commandos DM, with Nikita actually getting in the middle. Watching the group moving the pups was intense, as well. I was quite worried about little Juno, but finally his mother rescued him. I was so tense during all of those situations that I was glued to the TV, despite being afraid. It helped to post on the board about the last three episodes. I was typing as the show was moving along because it helped calm me a tiny bit.

Juno loved Rocket Dog so much. He didn't know what to do but show her love, but that, as you said, MMfan, may have kept her going. I can't help but like him so far. If there is another season, he will be about a year old by the time the filming ends. I hope he and as many of the other Whiskers as possible keep the family going.

Incredible ending to an amazing season. I loved this season. I really hope there is a season 5. MM did a great job.

So sad for Zorro. He was on the verge of being and amazing DM. He just looked tough and would have been a great protector of his family. And how unfortunate especially after getting the collar.

I wasn't a huge fan of Rocket Dog until about half way through this season. She was growing as a leader. This episode just showed how tough she is and how much she cares for her family.

All the pups are so cute, but for some reason Juno is the cutest pup I have seen.

The fight for dominance at the Commandos is brutal. But might be similar to what had happened when Zaphod and brothers came to the Whiskers and kept fighting for dominance.

Great Season and hopefully there are many more great seasons ahead.

[QUOTE]Originally posted by pixelpop:
However, I must comment on cynthiagilman response to my post. Exactly what part of my little fictional story would have been so horrible for your daughter to read? If you found my little fiction so objectionable for her, I certainly trust that you did not let her watch the last episodes that featured Rita killing and eating Rocket Dog's pups as evidenced by the “blood on her mouth” as the show put it. Or Zorro’s radio collar laying in a tree with a hawk nearby with the narrator intoning that “the radio collar is all that is left of him and the Kalahari has lost another leader.” And please tell me you protected her from a full half hour of a swollen and suffering Rocket Dog struggling to survive when few of us would have bet the house that she would make it.
===================================
Pixelpop, while my comment may have been heavy handed, you must understand, my daughter would have an image of Sophie pushing Rocket Dog (like a cartoon) onto the road. I can explain nature to her, but that image would stay in her head like a cartoon and it would be harsh.

With that being said, if you were offended, then yes I to apologize to you. I did not ask for an apology from you, so I appreciate the fact that you gave one. So again, for my post, I too do apologize.

Did she watch all three episodes, yes. Did I have a lot of explaining to do, yes. That is why she cried herself to sleep. However, she knows that these little creatures are wild and that she can accept. While she is sad, she understands. She doesn't understand however, people speaking ill of the very things she finds wonderful. I now know that you didn't wish to offend (at least this is what I get from your posts), but so many have and that is why I review everything before she reads it. For those who have children, you try to shelter them. At the end of last season, I wasn't watching as closely as I do now, she was reading the many hurtful things people were saying. She doesn't know most of the posts are opinions or fictional. When she came to me with questions is when I started reading some of the posts and that is why I now have to censor what she reads on these forums.

Before MM, my daughter has never had to experience the death of a pet (that is what she considers the meerkats). So this was all new to me last season. After reading some of the posts from last season, I had a more difficult time explaining to my then eight year old that what people were sharing was opinions and what they said was not (in most cases) actual.

Thank you Mod Kelly for the deletion of Pixelpop and my own post(s).

I normally try to maintain my composure, but that one hit too close for comfort. I had just explain to Kittie (daughters nickname) that even though Rocket Dog survived the snakebite, she was killed by a moving car. I was getting too comfortable with the posts and she almost did read Pixelpops post. I was scanning them and noticed it right before she started reading. She didn't read the post (for which I'm grateful).

Pixelpop, I can see that you enjoy the show. I hope that you appreciate why I did what I did. I don't want to offend either, that is not what I'm about. Again I hope you accept my apology and I do appreciate yours.

CG

hi everyone! i also love how juno stayed by rocket dog when she had the snakebite. they are so cute! i also really love flashman, pickle and chips.

The last 3 episodes where the best episodes of MM....EVER! I have never enjoyed any season finale (of any show) as much as I did this one! What a brave heroine our Rocket Dog is...even at her weakest she was leading the group and letting them know she was still in charge (did anybody else notice her chin marking).

Sophie also won my heart in the end. Lately, the Sophie this and Sophie that make me roll my eyes at times. But this time, there was something different in the last 3 episodes.

Wilson and Philippe's roving antics where just too funny! I nearly fell off the couch when I heard SC say that Wilson was a "pain the grass"!

All in all season 4 in spite of all the changes is by far the best season yet. I hope there's a season 5!

I just love Sophie she is so sweet may be too sweet to be DF. But I hope she can be we just have not see her get mad and mean.She has allways been so faithful. Talk about mean I Love Nikita too. She has out lived two of her DM.I know that the DF in the ruler but Hannible, keep his group in line. How did he die?
Alex

Yo

I am so grateful to AP for showing these 3 episodes back to back. The storyline was so interconnected and it would have been agonizing to have to wait for the final result.

Though people have complained about other decisions made by the producers this year, this was the best and the wisest one.

I bet the producers (and mods ) felt a bit like Baker caught between Miles and Zorilla this season. But such strong sentiments can mean only one thing, there is a large and completely besotted audience out there just waiting for Season 5.

The most touching thing to me was the empty radio collar on the tree stump. We've learned a lot of things about the meerkats, but imagine being a volunteer out walking with your group and finding a collar once worn by your dominant male, the last mark of Zorro. It would be a long walk home to the farmhouse.

It was also great to see so many of the volunteers and researchers who are the foundation of the knowledge that is presented on Meerkat Manor. My hats off to Caroline Hawkins, Tim Clutton-Brock, Rob Sutcliffe, David Bell, Alex Thornton, Tom Flower, Sophie, Jess, the camera crew and all the behind the scenes people who dedicate themselves to bringing us a visual course in meerkat behaviour and history.

Many thanks with great appreciation and applause

Pronker

I hate that the season is over so fast. It seems like forever until the next season.

I certainly agree with others and hope that they call Ella by her real name. I also like the names flashman, pickle and chips.

Names for consideration: Lincoln, Kennedy and Clinton should be considered. Or Truman, Reagan, and Jefferson and so on. Next we could start on the states.

I as some recorded the three shows friday night. I also noticed that in the bottom right hand corner it said SEASON FINAL NOT SERIES FINAL EPISODES. I do not think they would make the changes from last season just for one year. Just my opinion.

Although I didn't like cramming 3 weeks of shows into one night, the length was good, an hour of meerkats every Friday would suite me just fine. The camera work was again, wonderful! I loved the shots and the storyline.

I was saddened to see RD after her bite, but sooooo happy she didn't die in the final ep of the season. I imagine it was really hard for others to watch. I am a biologist so although it hurts my heart to see, it's not as shocking as JE was last year. Her comeback was great! I was so happy that she was finally portrayed as the courageous leader she truly was. Her feet kept twitching when it looked really bad and I was hoping she was just resting. I cannot wait to see what happens to all the pups, both those at Commandos and those at Whiskers and Aztecs.

I am a member of FKMP but it doesn't spoil watching one little bit.

I did wish that there were 3 Kalahari Confidential snippets since we had 3 shows, but it wasn't the case. Sigh.

I hope Season 5 (and beyond) is in negotiations. I just don't know what I'd do if there were no meerkats on Friday nights. I guess I wouldn't even put AP on.

Does anyone know when the "non-sanitized" (w/ MM groups included) life histories will be posted?

Also, this quote from the MM web site:

"When will Meerkat Manor - The Next Generation (series four) be aired in Europe?"

So, it's obvious that across the pond, they use "series" where we use "season." Thus, we say season finale and they say series finale.

Season 4 is over far too quickly for me. The 3 episodes, in one evening, were wonderful but I wish it hadn't been the final three. Sigh. And where were the reruns? None on Saturday afternoon? I wish AP would have made it more of a "celebration" . . . . with reruns . . . and more reruns. It was a great season. There is a void in my Friday evenings now.

Even after being there, this past spring, I still looked forward to Friday evenings and the Meerkats. If I closed my eyes and just listened to the background noises, it almost felt as if I was back there, sitting at the burrow, waiting for the last kat to settle in for the evening, as the sun was finally setting for the day. I will miss that on Friday evenings now.
Sigh,
Monica

They are going to show "The Grizzly Man Diaries" in the slot just after MM. "Untamed and Uncut" will go from 8-9, which would be the slot before and the same slot as MM. Apparently, by showing three episodes on one night, they were able to fit both shows in.

I will be watching another channel tomorrow, at least during the first one, because I cannot handle gore and people/animals in unnecessary pain. I'm intrigued, though, by the opportunity to learn more about bears.

Well, I'll be anxiously anticipating the next season. It's going to be a long wait, but at least there's a good chance there will be a next season. I know that Zaphod could be lost between the end of this season and the beginning of the next. I have no idea, since I am not an FKMP member, and I would rather not see anyone else get into trouble for giving it away.

What happend to Zorro all it said was he died by the claw or somthing...

Yo meerkatlover1

When a collar is found and the meerkat who used to wear it is no where around, it usually means that meerkat was taken by a predator, usually a bird of prey if the collar is found in a tree.

Neverforgetflower

Zaphod is doing well so far... He has surpassed Stinker of Young ones in being the oldest male meerkat in the project's history. He will be 10 in December, only Mabili, a female from Drie Doring lived to be older, 12 years.

On Rita/Amira:

Also, something that some are taking rather hard is the portrayal of Rita killing RD's pups (just as Kinkaju once killed Mozart's pups) and therefore making her a wee villainess. This was not the way it actually happened. Rita/Amira was a very young mother to be (youngest ever of the Whiskers), and when RD aborted her pups, Amira ate the fetuses. RD's pups would not have survived. But Rita's one lone pup, Juno did. There is no way to know for sure if Amira had more than one pup, but since RD was very fond of Juno, I doubt that she would have killed a littermate of his. She was mothering him as she would have cared for her own pups.

As for Grizzly Diaries, it just doesn't cut it with me. I'm waiting for Eugene and his Chimps to return and I still watch the dog shows and will give the new season of "Groomer Has It" a try, though it will be hard to replace Jorge, lol...Man I'm so glad he didn't win!

Pronker

Thanks, pronker I'm so happy to know that he is with us still. His family loves him so much, and Maybelline is lucky to have her uncle Zaphod helping her become a strong and wise leader. Love you, Zaphod, King of the Kalahari. Way to go for breaking Stinker's record.

Watching RD with Juno was neat. She treated him like her son, as you said. His mother was a bit too young emotionally to be having pups, so RD picked up the slack. His mother did finally go back to rescue her young pup, but he could have easily been lost if she had waited for even a few more moments. As it was, both of them were in serious danger when she arrived. I hope his mother or some other female took over after RD was lost.

Now that I know that Rita/Amira didn't eat viable pups, my opinion of her has changed. She was just cleaning up the aborted litter so that her litter could be born into a cleaner burrow. RD might have had difficulty doing that since she only had Nugget and Beaker make it to term.

It's amazing, though, to think that Sophie/Ella could have been Amira/Rita's mother, since three mothers gave birth around the same time, and (if I read correctly) the other two mothers left to join the Aztecs. They left pups behind, and I don't believe that they would leave their own. That would make her a grandma kat already. It also would mean that Zaphod now has at least three generations behind him. Yet, Ella just turned three a few days ago. May she have many more pups and increase the number of Whiskers

"It's amazing, though, to think that Sophie/Ella could have been Amira/Rita's mother, since three mothers gave birth around the same time, and (if I read correctly) the other two mothers left to join the Aztecs. They left pups behind, and I don't believe that they would leave their own".

I suggested this as well a few months ago. It's just common sense.

What happened to Daisy? At the end of last season she had given birth to a litter of pups at the same time as Maybelline. This season, Daisy hasn't been mentioned at all. What is her status?

Yo JaDart

Daisy was a compilation character and last year was played by Finn and Flo Whiskers. These two sisters became members of other groups that have not been shown and maybe that is why they didn't show her..

Perhaps next season they will have Daisy heading her own family?

Pronker

I am so devasted about this being the series finale, we faithful viewers should have been more prept, to say the least I was left hanging on the edge up to the last 30 seconds of the finale. I am obessed with this show, a great big animal lover I feel like.....well I am speechless please whatever we can do to save the show, I am sure Tom Irwin will be lost without his daily meerkat fixes......Please come back animal planet made a big mistake with the ratings putting the show on friday nights, should be sundays. fans let's keep our fingers crossed. Please help someone.......

Season 5 is under contract, so there will be more Meerkat Manor. If season 4 ratings are down it is because of MM replacing Sean Astin with Stockard Channing and because of too many plot embellishments and meerkat switcheroos.

I missed way too much. Like 7 episodes. Need to catch up. Sad ending tho.

Meerkatlover1 the quote was "lived by the claw,
died by the claw". The explanation was right
on the money, Zorro was killed by a bird of prey.
I, too, enjoyed the last three episodes shown
together; they seemed so entwined with one an-
other.
Juno has the sweetest face of a pup to date. The
picture of him resting his chin on RD seems to
be etched in my memory, as if he were trying to
comfort her in his tiny pup way. He has stolen
our hearts!
Rocket Dog had all the strength and fight in her
that her mother, Flower had. In spite of every-
thing, she rose to the occasion! For me, she
died as a Princess should with courage and grace
built up within her. In her brief reign, Rocket
Dog made her mother proud, in the end.
Zettak, Pronker can you tell me where Nugget is?
Also, are there any whispers on who the narrator
might be in Season 5?
I know the story of the Grizzly Diaries and I am
not quite sure I want to relive the story again.
I have seen it twice. Any idea in which order
the Lemurs, the Chimps or the Orangs will appear
next. I am really going to miss Abu (?). Isn't
there another animal series being added to the
mix?
Zettak, keep an eye on Ike, he is already at
135mph and I am not sure if you are calculated
in the path. Please let us know in the Weather
thread.
Pronker, how are your adopted babies doing?
Have a great Sunday!

Nugget was with the Whiskers until June/early July (this information was provided by visitors/volunteers to the KMP). Unfortunately Beaker disappeared.

Right now it seems that Ike will pass over the Florida Keys. I live in the northeastern part of Palm Beach county (2 miles from the beach; it's not too great if a hurricane arrives from the east). If the hurricane that is a category 4 now follows its current path we will get affected, but we will not be in its direct path.

[quote]JaDart69
Member

Registered: 07-29-08 Posted 09-06-08 01:11 AM Season 5 is under contract, so there will be more Meerkat Manor. If season 4 ratings are down it is because[/quote

I just found this posted on the site: "In the series finale, it's all out war at the Commandos when dominant male Zorro goes missing in action. And family history repeats itself when tragedy strikes at the Whiskers burrow." Does that confirm that the series is truly over? A-a-a-a-a-h-h-h!!! N-o-o-o-o-o!!! sniff

Let's see. They have said that they will decide after the season airs in Europe what they will do. I'm hoping for our furry friends' sake that there is a new season. Whatever the case may be, we will have to wait until next year.

quote:

Originally posted by Arocha:
She was bitten by a snake but survived. She was hit by a car and that killed her.

OK, I am in San Franciaco, California, USA all we got for first run and repeat run was the episode that had Rocket Dog bitten by a Puff Adder. She did not pass away from that. How did she get near a car? I suspect area is preserve but I remain confused. A car hit Rocket Dog? Would someone please explain. thank you.

Hi, Penny. There are roads in the area and some who have gone there have posted some pics of the roads. The Meerkats sometimes have their territory straddle a road and they cross back and forth a lot. Also, people go pretty fast on the road in question and since our Kats are so little, it's hard to see them much less stop in time. It just seems so sad to me that this happened to RD so soon into her reigh, but . . . MaryJane

I wish that the people who drive on those roads would be more carefull. If they where than maybe the meerkats would not get hit by cars.

DVD update; Meerkat Manor: The Next Generation Season 4 just arrived. Ordered at Amazon.com

Thanks for the update on Season 4.

I was sick when the last three episodes were on, but I taped them just in case I missed some of the action. I hated to see RD in pain, recover, and then know that she is not with us anymore, not because of the snakebite, but because of a car.

scmeerkatfan, I was about to say the same thing about the size of the meerkats, but then I saw your post. If it is hard to see a two-year-old child, it only makes sense that it would be much harder to see poor RD, or any other meerkat. Thank you.

I found this which was written back in June 2008 by Caroline Hawkins when she did an interview for the blog. They sure did change episode 13 or does anyone think that she was talking about RD being bit? A surprise? I do not think I would describe it as such. If it was the finale it sure was a tragedy for the Whiskers that is for sure.

Here it is:
Without giving anything away, what is the most exciting thing we will see this season in the Manor?

Hmm, there are so many great twists and turns this season, it’s hard to pinpoint just one, but I suppose it has to be the surprise that comes in episode 13. None of us could believe what unfolded in front of our eyes. Make sure you don’t miss that last episode!

I think she meant RD being bitten, and her fight for survival.
The producers didn't want this incident being revealed before the episode aired. It was supposed to be a big "surprise". There was some controversy in the Spoiler Board back then (July/August), because this piece of information was mentioned in early May in the thread about RD's death, but it was reposted before the episode aired.

Ok...I just thought she sounded more positive than the final episode showed, but maybe they were talking about her surviving the bite. I guess this makes sense, but at one point the episode guide did change from a positive final show to the one stating that tragedy repeats itself at the Whiskers burrow.

I think the description of the episode guide was such to keep viewers in suspense, until they realized that RD survived. It was a tragedy, I guess, and a repetition (with a better ending) of Flower's story.