Pinschermom, I know exactly how you feel....I am a grown person with very real problems myself, yet I am OBSESSED with a 2 inch meerkat half way around the world left alone in the desert to die. I come on here because I have found others like myself who will tolerate my being devastated by this.
Unopposed, maybe a little tolerance for other people's feelings would be a good thing. Everyone who posts here has a right to feel how they feel. It is not for us to make them feel silly, or make light of what they feel. How do you know that they are not feeding homeless people, or participating in charities for the good of mankind? Wanting to make a difference is a very personal thing. People choose what is important to them. We cannot dictate to them what MUST be important to them.
If Christopher969 wanted to be ridiculed for her feelings, I'm sure she wouldn't have come on this website to post. Here is the place she should feel comfortable doing so.
I'm not trying to be confrontational, or belittle anyone else's feelings, I just want to make sure we all respect each other, and how we feel.
After how many near misses on the tunneling where they go after the babies, and where they killed off the newborns, to then bring in the two characters, Lem and the misshapen Squiggy with his legs kicking out - they make us care about them then kill them off so coldly, my emotions have had enough ot it ! It used to be 80& happiness and 20 percent drama, now it's the other way around ! I've given up on watching the Meerkats. Judy from Jax
My appologies for what you may have percieved as a personal attack. I did not mean to belittle anyone. I simply am having a hard time understanding (And please don't think I am not trying to) where the efforts of such actions are going to lead.
In my oppinion, the only place they will lead is the cancellation of future seasons of the show, and worst case... the removal of the research team from the project. Nature has to be nature. Man cannot "save" animals in the wild and not expect it to have an effect on the whole food chain, especially in conditions such as the Kalahari, where we have seen how important it is for mobs to not grow too large.
Now back to my point. CHRISTOPHER969!! Please do not leave this forum because of what I have said. I sincerely applogize for any harm I have caused you. If anything I WILL LEAVE. I don't want to belittle anyone, sometimes I use humor to make my point, and I don't mean to make anyone feel unintelligent or less than anyone else.
I too am very sad because of the events of the last few shows, and several events in the past two seasons, I have just come to terms that it is nature. I know the desire of decent human beings is usually always to help creatures in need, and that isn't bad. But the long term effects have got to be considered.
Again PLEASE DON'T leave! Especially not because of me.
First of all, I watched Len & Squiggy again, and I realize I was wrong about them being Houdini's pups. I just hope Flower gives birth before she gets bitten, and that those pups survive.
Unopposed,
Please don't take this as an attack, because I certainly don't mean it as one. You say that the removal of the research team would be the "worst case." Why would that be so bad, especially if the researchers are exposing the animals to human diseases? What is the point of doing animal research if not to help the animals being studied? Just having a collar on makes that animal more likely to have fleas and ticks under the collar that other kats can't reach to remove, thereby weakening that individual. You also say that humans can't save animals from the wild, yet AP has other shows where that very thing is happening. "Growing Up...." shows baby animals being raised by humans, many of them wild animals whose mothers have been killed. Plus, I posted earlier about a show I saw where a mother cheetah had been badly injured and park rangers gave her antibiotics and saved her. I know the birds of prey need to eat, but not saving a baby with a twisted foot is cruel. No one needs to be a "researcher" to know what's going to happen to him without human intervention.
In defense of the researchers that study the meerkats I would just like to say. Research positions are very difficult to come by. If your life's work is zoology research, then you have to be very lucky to find employment in your field. I'm sure these people are touched by the life and death situations that we witness on this wonderful show. However, they are probably under very strict rules about what they can and cannot do. I'm not saying they didn't help Squiggy; I'm just saying if they did not, it was probably because they would lose their position. I imagine the cameramen and researchers are just as touched as we are by the loss of each and every one of the sweet little creatures. They probably mourn as much, if not more, than the viewers.
I just hope Flower gives birth before she gets bitten, and that those pups survive.
I'm just sad thinking that the litter Flower ever gives birth to will be Houdini's, not Zaphod's. I'm also sad thinking how Zaphod and Flowers last litter together (Len&Suiggy) were both tragically lost.
This message has been edited. Last edited by: mod_kelly,
Thank you, unopposed, for your kind words. It is just very hard for some of us to see what we have seen this season. We are using this forum to talk about the deaths of these precious little creatures. We all have strong opinions about it and some times it is difficult to understand certain things that are happening. I love Flower and what she has done. I love each episode and I just am having a much harder time this season than I did last season. I believe only 2 or 3 died last year but this season several have died in 5 shows and probably more to come. You are right. These are wild animals. But when they show them each week and give them names we feel like they are part of us and therefore we feel a connection and want to do everything we possibly can to keep them safe. I have contacted the Fellow Earthlings Preserve in Morongo Valley Ca. to see how they rescue these animals. I do believe that she receives them from zoos and that some are sick and elderly and I want to find out how the zoos come to receieve them. Anyway, tomorrow night is another show. I can only hope that all goes well. Take care Meerkat Lovers.
You say that the removal of the research team would be the "worst case."
Good point. maybe a better term for me to use would have been "extreme case".
I agree with most of your points. However I think the researchers are weighing long term effects as opposed to short term.
I guess my main argument all along has been, by "helping" the meerkats who are sick/dying (our example is Carlos) they could be "hurting" the entire population. I think I have posted it in this thread but I will summarize it briefly here.
If you save Carlos, then you save X number of Meerkats who are in the same situation. (We see about 40-50, KMP sees about 3-4 hundred. therefore it's fair to say that there could be 6-8 Kats in the same dire straits as 'Los was) We now give those 6-8 Meerkats antibiotics, which let's them live. . . 1, 3, 5 years? longer than God intended them to live.
Now they have antibodies in them that build up their immunity to infection. (This is speculation, I don't know if it's true)--> They will probably pass these antibodies to thier offspring, prolonging thier life due to better immune systems. 6-8 meerkats that are living (let's just say arbitrarily 3 years) longer than they should have. That's 6-8 this year multiply that times the number of years we arbitrarily said their lives were prolonged. In 3 years we have added 18-24 meerkats to the population. As hard as conditions are in the Kalahari, and as important as it is to have limited numbers in the tribe (so as not to eat more than the land can replentish), this causes the entire population to suffer because of fewer resources. We have seen how harsh it is, and how devastating droughts are on the Meerkats. Imagine how much worse it would be with 5% more mouths to feed.
Anyway, that got a little longer than brief.
I do like these forums, I have decided to back off a little because I don't wanna cause tension or hard feelings. Many people have very good points. I just think there are a few people who think only with their broken hearts. And I do realize that a lot of it is just venting, and mourning together, which is awesome.
I think the film crew should have taken in the little pup, they do this with other stray animals. why let it die? I was thinking about this all night. Poor little Squiggy!
quote:
Originally posted by attila-the-honeypie: Poor Squiggy! I can't beleive they just left him! Also, I can't beleive they lost both pups! Oh, um by the way do you think the fact that Flower only had 2 pups had anything to do with Zaphod's older age?
Every time I visuaize the Whiskers scampering away from the bird without the babies, I flash back to Season 1 when Tosca, Mozart and Shakespeare draped themselves over the babies when a bird of prey appeared.
We thought that was normal, and very altruistic and heroic, meerkat behaviour.
What's happened? Have the younger generations lost their moral fiber, or is it the steely eye of the boss not present that accounts for the 'every meerkat for him- or herself' beahviour? I am puzzled.
That's a very good point...in season 1 we were shown the devotion to the pups when that happened....it was very shocking and awesome that they would protect the pups out in the open from a bird of prey with their bodies putting themselves in danger like that. And so I guess we expected the same this time. And when they ran away, we were like...."HEY....HEY....remember the PUPS??? WHERE ARE YOU GOING???? THEY ARE OUT IN THE OPEN!!! IS ANYONE LISTENING??? WHERE ARE YOU GOING? THERE'S A VERY LARGE, HUNGRY BIRD OUT HERE!!!!"
It does make you wonder why it was "every meerkat for himself" on that day...
Unopposed...thank you for clarifying...I enjoy your comments, and agree with a lot of what you're saying...I just thought you came across as a little rough that day...PLEASE...whatever you do...DON'T LEAVE...
Every time I visuaize the Whiskers scampering away from the bird without the babies, I flash back to Season 1 when Tosca, Mozart and Shakespeare draped themselves over the babies when a bird of prey appeared.
That was one of my favorite scenes ever!
I do think the difference in that case was they all knew the owl had spotted them. They were pretty much in the open. The case with len and squig I think was the mob had already left the pups behind. (Probably due to the inexperience of many of the mob members). The pups were trailing and the mob continually left them behind. Mitch and another unmentioned Kat were the only ones going back for the pups.
I also think Mitch bolted when the hawk came. I know AP wanted us to think he stood right there by the pups. But I truly believe this is all in their plan to make him the Pope of meerkat manor. (Don't get me wrong I think Mitch is awesome, but wow is AP trying to play him up).
Kimmmy and Christopher, thanks for accepting my appologies, I feel much better now, and will try to not let my tail stay over my head next time!
Unfortunately, the reality of Meerkat Manor is that nothing in the show is scripted or false. The show depicts real life adventures. Real life is not fantasy like most of us would like. Misfortunes and death are a part of life, just like offspring is life renewing itself. I'm very saddened by the death of some of the main characters, Shakesphere, Carlos and Flower, especially. But their lives live on in their memory and their offspring. I am thankful to the producers of Meerkat Manor for sharing their little lives with us. I hope this show continues with many more seasons to come. I am thankful for all the hard work of the researchers and the producers for briging us such a wonderful show.
<I know that lots of zoos in the U.S. have Meerkats. Did anyone working on this project scoop up Squiggy and send him to a zoo?>
He could also have been a pet in a home in South Africa where some end up. Wildlife experts are against this but it's better than just dying a slow death of starvation or being eaten alive by a hawk. Apparently they have a hard time being alone as pets and would need another meerkat or two or a person around all the time.
dedndogyrs I sure hope so! Seeing that little cutie, Squiggy, left all alone with no chance of surviving, was to say the least, heartbreaking. I can't imagine anyone not having enough heart to save this little one especially considering his disability.
I hate to bring this up and it could have been careful editing but remember when Youssarian forced the burrow move and one of Mozarts's pups was dropped and left behind? They didn't intervene there - they actually went back and showed the little one's dead body afterward. I couldn't believe it. I still can't believe it.
Yes, it was very small and very defenseless. I would have had to pick it up, carry it to the new burrow and give it to Mozart. I remember she went looking for it when she realized it was missing but couldn't find it. :```( Heart breaking all over again.
Here, let me groom you...nuzzle, nuzzle. Oh gosh, I have a bit of knot in my stomach about all this.
My TV guide says "Wilson meets a Whiskers Girl", so I'm hoping there is something positive tonight.
I know the researchers would have beat me to death, but I would never be able to have left that pup either. That was the first time I got worked up over the show, and almost quit watching. I'm really glad I didn't - I just try to remember to good, mourn the bad, and remember the love
OMG.......MOZART IS DEAD....PLEASE TELL ME IT'S NOT TURE. SHE WAS MY #1.
I'm sorry but I don't think I can keep watching the show. I'm going to miss all the Meerkats but without Flower and Mozart I just don't think I can keep watching it.
When Flower died I cryed for a week, but now that my favorite meerkat is gone I just think it will hurt to much to watch the show anymore. I don't want to get attached to another one and them die also.
MOZART I'M GOING TO MISS YOU SO SO MUCH. I WISH I COULD HAVE HAD YOU FOR ME OWN NOTHING WOULD HAVE EVER HAPPEN TO YOU.
What will happen next?! Tragity is around the bend! Are the Wiskers done?! 
