If kmp can feed them boiled eggs, give them water out of a guinea pig bottle, if it was an abcess and not TB, anyone that saw him suffering should of treated him. It is a real shame and very very sad.
It was just sooooooooo sad watching him suffer throughout the entire episode. I wish they didn't show his poor little lifeless body for so long. It was so heart wrenching.........
The ending was definitely the hardest. I cried my eyes out. They could have just focused on his head quickly, just to let us know that he didn't make it. Seeing his little body all alone in the middle of a desert was just heart-wrenching!!!
Imas, I agree with you. He should have been helped. His suffering seemed so prolonged. It was agonizing to watch. If infact his ailment was from a bite, he should have been given aid. And I am still irate over the crass attitude of the commercial for that episode. So much lack of compassion for the little guy's predicament.
Moderator Kelly: I truly appreciate this chance to relay my feelings. I have never before wrote in protest to a network or its advertizers until episode 4. After watching the episode and realizing the scenes of Carlos in the commerical "We Salute You" were those of his suffering and death.... I was repulsed and appalled. How horribly cruel and inhumane to poke fun at being's agony, and then to do it for a catchy commercial. Disgusting. And this from a Network in the same breath has a ROAR campaign underway?
I think the commerical success of Meerkat Manor has caused everyone involved from the KMP to producers to AP executives to lose sight and make horrible decisions. In case anyone there forgot: MM is an animal nature show, not a hollywood action thriller. These cute little beings who we all know, love and care for are REAL, not actors. We have bonded to REAL animals and feel real sorrow and loss. AP needs to remember that and respect the realtionship they forged between the veiwers and the meerkats.
This show is not Wild Kingdom, where Marlin Perkins is hiding behind the bushes while Jim Fowler takes down a crockadile. You people named hese little fellas and gave them an identy and we brought them into our hearts and homes. So now it is time for you guys to have a heart, do whats right for them.
I think most of us have made our feelings clear on numerous other posts on this topic.
The hypocricy of conducting hands on experiments to further the cause of their research combined with a hands off approach to helping another creature in need has turned me off to the KMP project entirely. Part of me would like an explanation as to how letting a creature suffer and die slowly and in a painful manner is good and part of me would like AP to explain how watching Carlos waste away is entertaining and informative. But I am honest enough to admit that no explanation will be satisfactory. What I witnessed last Friday completely violated my personal ethical beliefs on being both human and humane.
My main hope is two-fold:
1. That AP will listen to the feedback we have offered and put some heat on the KMP to be a bit more humane when it comes to suffering animals. We all know money talks, so let it speak out for compassion.
2. That AP will stop running insensitive commercials about the deaths of creatures we care about. If the commercials are already done, re-edit them. Listen to the feedback you are getting and learn from it.
In closing I would like to express a little understanding for the powers that be at AP. In some ways you are in a no win situation. No matter what you do there will be people who don't like it. But the advantage you have in having a board like this is that you can get feedback from your hard-core fans. We are the ones who did not jump ship after the first Intervention Controversy concerning Blossum last season. We are the ones who would have liked to see Bubble survive but understand that what Nikita did was part of meerkat existence.
The case of Carlos crossed the line for most of us. There was a thread about not watching episode 3 of this season again. I will watch that. It is episode 4 that will never grace the screen of my television again.
I do hope Flower's passing is handled with a bit more grace and compassion.
Indeed you do, ZTM. I feel as strongly as you do about the hypocracy of "non-interference" and the exploitation of these wonderful innocent creatures' suffering for profit. You are indeed eloquent. I tried to go a few rounds last episode, but I am not so eloquent and my anger is very very very deep, and so I cannot express very well. Thanks very much to you, and also to QueenFlower on the other board, for being the voice of what I feel. I am still sobing as Ccatz said elsewhere, this goes way beyond crying and grief, this is basic violation of human and humaine ethics, as you say
I wish there is something we can do that would make a difference!!
I don't know what their reasons are for not helping Carlos, so I am going to hold my breathe until they answer us. I hope they don't take to long I am not good at holding my breathe.
Flowersongsmozart and Zaphodstheman have expressed my thoughts entirely. And I sincerely thank the both of them for expressing these thoughts in a well educated manner.
The format of the show has obviously changed. However, in Seasons 1 & 2, I had established a trust in what I would be viewing. I knew that I would not see mating (but only hear about it) and body parts. This season has been perpetually shocking me with the sleezy commercials (which, by the way, is demeaning to the meerkats) body parts, mating, and now, the sensationalism of watching a meerkat suffer until death. Meerkat Manor has been a part of my life for a long time. I have forfeited dates and other entertaining arenas in lieu of staying home to watch my favorite show. A family that I was a part of: Meerkat Manor and Animal Planet. Unfortunately, because of your new marketing techniques and your dismissal of respecting the lives of animals, I will not be watching Meerkat Manor anymore. NOR, will I ever watch Animal Planet again. Athena
If they are researching the links between meerkat cooperation and the evolution of human cooperation, then I would reasonably think that a live meerkat would be much more useful to the research than a dead one.
They are not studying meerkat funerary customs after all.
I BAWLED!!!! He was a good little guy...a slut, but a nice guy that never hurt anyone. Now Mozart and Kinkachu have no "daddy". I hope they don't let Houdini come in for that role. He's a rogue ass with no loyalty. The starkies need to just go on back and apologize to Flower and start over.
OH MY GOD!!! I am new to this chat room...and still having a problem working my way around it. But AMEN to what you have ALL said!! These are my thoughts exactly....WHY would they suject us them to such a thing?!?!?! You can't write that off to the "circle of life" when you have people SO emotionally invested in these babies. I was STUNNED but thought I was being dramatic...Clearly not according to you guys! You've validated my feelings. That STUNK!!
I agree with flowerssong, the commercial was absolutey inappropriate and sickening. These are actual living creatures that we have come to know and love, not villians on "Days of Our Lives," who are played by actors.
As far as Carlos' death is concerned, that poor little thing had to have been suffering for weeks. It was not as if he was bitten by a snake and died shortly thereafter, or was predated. The people observing him had to have seen Carlos getting weaker every single day. And for whatever reason, nothing was done about it, even though there seemed to have been ample time to take action, and from what I have read, treating him would not have been a long and invasive process.
Carlos, whichever of our "Carloses" you were, may you rest in peace and watch over your family.
Thank you, Kittyglitter. He was JD Lazuli! A great little DM of a kat, who left his own wonderful Lazuli mob to find his Mozart and start his own little family. So the mourning is double, indeed trible, for I also mourn for Mo.
He did not deserve to be treated like dirt! He deserved respect and compassion
After the lack of respect they had used when handling Carlos's death, it had thrown me off. On the episode, not the commercial. I have yet to see this commercial, but if this is anything worse then the "Bad Girls" commercial, which had disrespected a pup already known as passed, I shall send a letter to Animal Planet.
If there is another horrible commercial making the light of of a living being's death (Oh god, there's Flower) then I don't think I could watch any channels or shows in the Discovery network itself anymore. Death is heartbreaking, not entertainment. It should be handled in a graceful manner. Even the episode's title was awful. "The Death of Romance". It sounded like a joke. It was a horrible joke.
I understand that commercial was horrible. Could you just tell me what it said? I need to know.
Adding to his suffering was the radio collar. There were many scenes where the radio part was on the side of the wound, pushing against it. Especially when the swelling was at it's worst. Researchers are a detached bunch, very, very difficult for people like a lot of us MM lovers to understand.
"They are not studying meerkat funerary customs after all" Very well said, Meerkat1212. That sentence puts the entire debate in a nutshell.
I want to add my thanks to Zaphodstheman and Athena especially for their eloquent words.
When i first heard about Meerkat Manor, i was not going to watch it because i knew it would be a tough show. Animal Planet programs often show hard lives and terrible deaths. But when season 2 began, i decided to watch and got caught up with season 1 reruns. So, i have always known that MM would be a ruthless show knowing the style of AP's programs and how very cute, irresistable and endearing meerkats are.
I know that you personally have nothing to do with this, but...
I know for a fact that AP is well aware of our discontent as many of us have written letters. And AP owes us an explanation. I think it's in their best interest to address these issues with us meerkat fans. A live chat would be desired (as opposed to a closed-end statement). You are our mediator between "us" and "them". Could you please ask them to do this for us?
OK, when did an audience gain all these entitlements? Why does the television station suddenly have to answer questions just because an audience member is asking them? They are producing a product. You can watch or not. They can take the suggestions and change things, but they would never get any work done if they answered every criticism that came through their inboxes.
I do agree that the ads have been rather weird this season, and I'm hoping that bird of prey doesn't get a pup (if it does, that would be another tasteless commercial).
I don't see "Death of Romance" as being a bad title, actually. The title seems less a joke than a salute to the Kalahari Casanova at his passing. There will never be another dashing figure like him.
How many roving males get to become DM's? Sounds like he had a fairly good run.
I think KMP is trying to document meerkat society, trying to do it with as little human intervention at all, and if they do anything to effect births, deaths, missing, etc. then the study is void.
Nada. What they went there for, a study, not a TV program would be invalid.
OK, I think we are going to have to go a few more rounds on this. Here's the dilemma: They have already interfered with the meerkats. Go find Queenflowers posts and see what they have done to them in the name of research. But here's my very simple version: Once they picked up the meerkat, anesthetized him, put a collar around his neck, boy they've interfered. Then they cry non-interference when the poor thing needs a dose of antibiotics to survive??? Would he have been able to fight the infection had that collar not been around his neck??? Did the collar cause the infection??? Have you noticed that in the end the big radio bulky part was rubbing against his wound?
Why is it presumptuous then to ask them to answer to this? If there is a society for cruelty towards wild animals, please tell me and I will go report them. This is pure hypocracy and cruelty with the only goal to gain financially by making more "drama" out of a little creature's suffering. And you encourage them by telling them they don't have to answer to anyone.
Indeed that is a bleak thought!!! In the name of research they can do as they will and not have to answer to anyone. I have no presumptions about my or anyone else's here status. But they have a very basic human and humane responsibility when they made this wild and free animals the subjects of their study. What gave them that right? Because they paid for the land? Can you buy a god's creature for whatever pusrpose????????
And so you don't think that I'm a raving lunatic, I will give you my credentials like QueenFlower did in the other post. I have MS, PHD, postdoctoral degrees in science and engineering. I have been a practicing researcher for 23 years. I have intentionally veered off the biology field early in my career because of these ethical dilemmas.
Very sorry for speaking out. I try to stay silent. This is very very deep topic and us humans cannot absolve ourselves from our responsibility in the name of science. That's a very thin veil
