Dram-a-rama at the Meerkat Manor

Normally, I’m not someone who spends time at home boo-hoo-hooing over a nighttime soap, but the other night I was.  For those of you who watch the ‘Dallas’ like antics of Animal Planet’s ‘Meerkat Manor’, you know exactly what I’m talking about.  It all takes place in the Kalahari dessert.  There is Flower the matriarch of the group called the Whiskers who is constantly kicking any of her uppity daughters out of the nest while she is off having another litter.  Zaphod, Flower’s partner and the meerkat she has been cheating on with rogue meerkats (boo, hiss).  Mozart, Flower’s ‘troubled daughter’ who just wants to grow into the role of matriarch, and if not matriarch, at least have some little meerkats of her own.

Okay, so I’m watching the show in the background while I’m writing and I noticed Mozart was back (she is off and on the show like Pamela Anderson’s and Tommy Lee’s relationship).  This time though she was with a new group called the Starsky that was just starting out – only seven meerkats.  She has bonded with the dominate male, Carlos, and is very pregnant with his pups (further they have been an item for some time) but behold…Kinkajou, Mozart’s half sister.  She too is pregnant with Carlos’s pups – PLAY-AR!

So in this episode Mozart ready to give birth and that (&*^$ Kinkajou leads the group on a forging expedition while Mozart is whining for some help…HELLO!   It is apparent that *&^%$% Kinkajou has now taken over as the Starsky’s matriarch.  Near the end of the day Miss Thing leads the group to an unknown burrow.  Later that night Mozart gives birth to her pups.

In the morning the group gets up without a care in the world despite that one of their own has just increased their group membership from seven to nine.  Miss (*&^&% then leads the group for more forging along with Carlos who isn’t feeling very well.  He has had a fight with another meerkat from another clan and the injury he obtained on his cheek is now infected.  This leaves Mozart in a quandary; does she leave her pups unprotected or does she go out for food so she will have milk to feed them.  She goes out for food mindful that she has to return to the pups.  That is when Kinkajou makes her move.

While the group is forging for insects and such she goes back to their burrow and kills the pups.

Oh yes, I’m going to give you a moment to take that in.

When Mozart returns she can’t find her pups in the burrow so looks for them outside where she ends up finding one of their arms.  Excuse me, I need to grab some Kleenex. (Feel free to cue the Opera where that sad clown sings.)

Now Kinkajou has positioned herself to be dominate female because she will be the only one with pups, but wait…Carlos dies.  It was worse than merely dying, his only comfort is Mozart who remains at his side until the morning when he leaves the burrow for his last walk in the sun.  Now the Starsky have no dominate male.

I hope something big, mean, and ugly eats Kinkajou.

Back with the Whiskers, Flower has given birth to two pups named Len and Squiggy.  It is their debut above ground and out bounds Len slowly followed by Squiggy who has a deformed leg.  A few hours later, a bird of prey flies by which separates the group.  Flower takes the opportunity to hook up with some strange meerkat named Houdini who threw his scent her way while her man Zaphod, is stuck with the pups.  As soon as the bird leaves he is out looking for his lady only to find her in the throws of passion with some other dude.  He chases Don Juan Houdini away but it might be too late, Flower may be knocked up again.  I tell you Spanish speaking dram-a-ramas have nada on this crew.

In the meantime, something happens and the group is separated again, maybe the bird came back (I was diligently writing again).  Now it is the younger meerkats who have the responsibility of watching Sqiggy and Len.  Mitch, their older brother steps in and helps them out (ATTENTION lady meerkats, Mitch is a keeper) especially poor Squiggy who is deformed and too young to go forging anyhow.  Suddenly a bird of prey comes swooping down and…

and…

and it carries Len off.

Later the small group realizes that they might not be reunited with Flower and the rest of the group so another female starts taking over Flower’s duties.  There hasn’t been rain in the Kalahari thus food is scarce and the meercats, with the exception of good guy Mitch, do not share with poor Squiggy.  Finally, it is apparent that they cannot wait for Squiggy to catch up, even Mitch can no longer risk being separated from the group.  Thus they leave him crying somewhere in the dessert.

OH MY GOD, such drama!  I really don’t have much of a mothering instinct but I was tempted to board a plane just to find poor Squiggy and give him a home.  Of course, he was probably already another animal’s dinner, but you know the feeling.  This show is great, I would watch it more often but there are only so many crying headaches I can endure (really, all you have to do is watch all the meerkats huddle together to fall in love with the species).  I’m sure something has happened recently and I would love it if someone could fill me in so I don’t have to see my beloved Mozart suffering (I’m a sucker for the under meerdog).

© 2007 Westerfield