Original title
Meerkat Manor
Released
9/2/2005
Origin country
GB
Genre
Documentary, Drama
Production companies
Oxford Scientific Films
Status
Ended
Number of seasons
4
Number of episodes
52
Meerkat Manor is a British television programme produced by Oxford Scientific Films for Animal Planet International that premiered in September 2005 and ran for four series until its cancellation in August 2008. Blending more traditional animal documentary style footage with dramatic narration, the series told the story of the Whiskers, one of more than a dozen families of meerkats in the Kalahari Desert being studied as part of the Kalahari Meerkat Project, a long-term field study into the ecological causes and evolutionary consequences of the cooperative nature of meerkats. The original programme was narrated by Bill Nighy, with the narration redubbed by Mike Goldman for the Australian airings and Sean Astin for the American broadcasts. The fourth series, subtitled The Next Generation, saw Stockard Channing replacing Astin as the narrator in the American dubbing.
Meerkat Manor: The Story Begins is a 2008 television film created by Discovery Films and Oxford Scientific Films as a prequel to the Animal Planet series Meerkat Manor. A scripted documentary narrated by Whoopi Goldberg, the film details the life of a meerkat named Flower from birth to her becoming the leader of a meerkat group called the Whiskers. The film is based on the research notes of the Kalahari Meerkat Project and primarily uses wild meerkat "actors" to represent those in the story. Shot over two years at the Kuruman River Reserve in Northern Cape, South Africa, the film employed a much larger crew than the series. Some scenes were shot at a wildlife park in the United Kingdom, while others were created using camera tricks and trained film animals. .
Flower, as the dominant female of the group, has a lot to worry about, including her wounded son, Shakespeare, rivals, and her children's affiliation with the rivals.
After being bitten by a puff adder, Shakespeare continues his struggle to survive. Carlos, a male from a rival family, threatens Flower's pups. The Whiskers have a territorial dispute with the Lazuli family. Daisy becomes overly friendly with Carlos.
Flower's daughter has pups, making the Whiskers a family of 37. Flower must decide whether to keep all the pups or allow them to die so her own litter can survive. While searching for food, the wounded Shakespeare becomes separated from the group.
Survival takes center stage following Youssarian's decision to move the family from the burrow. To add to the problem, a thunderstorm threatens the family.
Mozart is evicted from the Whiskers family by Flower, and she is forced to leave her pups behind. Territorial drama ensues when the family takes shelter from the storm in one of the burrows formerly inhabited by the Lazuli family.
Mitch becomes sick after he steals poisonous insects from his siblings. Mozart is given a reprieve and is allowed to return to Meerkat Manor after her eviction.
The Whiskers family gets separated when they go out foraging for the first time since they became a party of 40. The rival Lazuli tribe continues to cause problems.
Now that the Whiskers have split into two groups, the struggle for survival gets more intense. Daisy and Tosca begin a rivalry, but Flower solves the problem by evicting Tosca from Meerkat Manor.
As the Whiskers family is finally recovering from the split, more problems are created when Daisy gives birth to her pups in the wrong burrow and she needs help. Youssarian goes to her rescue.
Two young male meerkats are in charge of Meerkat Manor when Flower has a new litter of pups. Evicted Tosca attempts to rejoin Whiskers. While the Whiskers are out foraging, they come across a burrow belonging to their enemies, the Lazuli, with a litter of small pups.
Flower's new litter ventures outside for the first time to learn about the world they inhabit in the Kalahari, but since they are Flower's pups, just about all of the adults are on guard.
Evicted Tosca realizes she probably will not be allowed to return to Meerkat Manor, so she considers starting a group of her own. Flower leaves Shakespeare in charge when she leads the family on a search for food.
When the Whiskers family returns from foraging, they must fight off an attack by the Lazuli family rivals. The pups are safe, but Shakespeare has disappeared.
Season 2 brings winter to Meerkat Manor. The Whiskers did not find Shakespeare after the Lazuli attack and he is presumed dead. Other tragedies are reshaping the families and Youssarian hopes to become the dominant male of the Lazuli clan.
While on their first foraging trip, Flower's new pups are caught out in the open by a gang of war-dancing meerkats. Two of the Whiskers males who want to mate with Lazuli females join Youssarian.
The Commandoes, a new enemy family, spend the night on the Whiskers territory. A conflict ensues between the Whiskers, the Lazuli and the Commandoes.
Flower decides it's time to move because the Whiskers have been at the same burrow for five weeks. She's in no mood for any nonsense due to her pregnancy, so her three daughters, Kinkajou, Daisy and Mozart, try to be careful or face eviction.
Mozart, who was evicted from the Whiskers a month earlier, is pregnant. Without the family's support, her pups most likely will die. Flower has a new litter and the rain ensures there will be a plentiful supply of food for all the meerkats.
As Mozart's banishment continues, Flower and the pups get into a vicious fight with the Commandoes when the Whiskers get split up.
Mozart is allowed to return to the family, but there serious consequences ensue when the Whiskers battle with the Commandoes. After three weeks of rain, Flower's newest litter of pups finally emerge from the burrow.
Youssarian abandons his babysitting duties and leaves Flower's pups alone to face a terrifying rain storm. In an attempt to expand their territory, the rival Lazulis move a little too close to the Whiskers.
When the Whiskers are caught raiding their rival's burrow, they are forced to flee with dire consequences. Flower learns one of her daughters has a secret.
Big problems evolve at Meerkat Manor because Flower and Mozart are pregnant at the same time. Youssarian is left to babysit Flower's second litter of year. Mozart attempts to exert her authority on the Whiskers.
Heavy rains leave the Kalahari covered with lush foliage, with tall grasses and beautiful flowers. Although life has never been better for the Whiskers, unusual conditions could mean disaster for the family.
Although Flower's newest litter is welcome in the family, Mozart's unborn pups face an uncertain fate. She weighs her options as she tries to avoid losing her second litter of the year.
Winter returns to Meerkat Manor. The family has abandoned Mozart, who is trying to take care of her newborn pups. The rival Commandoes force a confrontation with the Whiskers.
The third season opens with Flower leading the Whiskers gang to better hunting grounds. When they cross into territory claimed by the rival Zappa clan, an altercation with them ends with a missing pup.
After Flower's pups go missing in Zappa territory, Mitch helps to reunite the family and the pups. During his mission, he encounters Mozart and Carlos, who have started their own group.
The Whiskers are getting acquainted with their new territory as Mozart and Kinkajou compete for the role of dominant female of the new Starsky group.
Carlos learns he has competition from Houdini from the Zappa group and the Starsky learn their new home may be temporary.
After Flower disappears mysteriously, Rocket Dog is left to lead the group. Dire consequences ensue when roving males from the Zappa appear and the pups become their victims.
Lola, the dominant female of the Zappa, is missing. In her absence, Punk attempts to take charge of the Zappa. When the wounded Lola makes her way home, she is greeted by a coup and her dominance is taken by her sister, Punk.
The Kalahari is in serious drought, which splits the Whiskers for nearly a month. Although the Commandoes occupy the territory, Flower returns with half the group to their old manor in a desperate attempt to search for food. Flower's daughter, Rocket Dog, is left in charge of the remaining family and has problems dealing with leadership.
Flower gives birth to her third litter of the year. The Whiskers have reunited and have driven away the Zappas from their territory, then tragedy strikes the Whiskers family.
Rocket Dog and her sister, Maybelline, compete as dominant female of the Whiskers. Zaphod exhibits resistance to the new leadership.
As the season changes, Zaphod leaves the Whiskers and begins a new life as a roving male. His attempt to find a new mate in the Zappa tribe is thwarted by the existing dominant male, so he decides to continue living alone.
The Whisker pups are taken their first foraging trip to learn about Kalahari life. Mozart, Kinkajou, and De la Soul of the Starskys try to resolve a problem with an unfortunate resolution.
A new roving male, Wilson from the Commandoes, joins the Whiskers and makes advances on one of the females. Mozart attracts the attention of a new male.
As the season ends, the Whiskers now have 50 members. The new matriarch, Rocket Dog, attempts to maintain control of the group in spite of the efforts of her sister, Maybelline, to attain dominant female status. The group dynamic has changed and nothing will ever be the same again.
Maybelline dominance over the Aztecs begins to crumble and members start leaving the gang. Rocket Dog has similar problems with the Whiskers.
When Wilson tries to join the Aztecs and Zaphod deters his encroachment, he seeks attention from one of the Whiskers females.
A vicious Nikita defends her territory when the Whiskers wander onto Commando territory.
Sophie has problems with Rocket Dog's pregnancy, and the Aztecs find a new home with the help of Seacrest.
Led by Zorro, a group of Whiskers boys confront the Commandos, where the whole group stages a military coup. Meanwhile, Sophie is evicted from the Whiskers and could face living in exile.
In her final days of pregnancy, Rocket Dog seeks a new burrow so she may give birth to her pups. Zorro learns what being a Commando is like as Nikita exerts her authority on her pregnant subordinates.
Sophie and Axel are distracted by Wilson when they are supposed to be babysitting, which leaves Rocket Dog's pups unattended. Meanwhile, Maybelline and Rocket Dog encounter difficulties of their own.
A pair of babysitters takes Rocket Dog's pups on an unexpected trip away from the burrow, which causes major problems when they encounter a rival gang.
Lead by a pregnant Maybelline, the Aztecs battle former rivals while Nikita's pups create chaos in the Commando den.
Nugget and Beaker receive their first desert survival lessons. As the Whiskers move their burrow, the Commandos stage a war over rations and power. Meanwhile, Miles is taught an important lesson by his brother, Zorro.
Wilson and Phillippe leave on a mission to meet female meerkats and hopefully find a group in which they can join.
Rocket Dog's second litter of pups arrive at a time when the Whiskers are at their weakest. However, the survival of the new pups becomes uncertain when a dangerous situation presents itself.
Dominant male Zorro goes missing in action and chaos ensures among the Commandos. Meanwhile, a family tragedy strikes yet a second time at the Whiskers burrow.
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