MORONGO VALLEY, CALIF. — Over the years, scientific films and National Geographic specials have inspired visitors to a small, out-of-the-way meerkat sanctuary here. One of the draws was a resident meerkat who served as the model for Timon in "The Lion King."
But that's nothing compared to the surge of interest since Animal Planet's hit series "Meerkat Manor" made stars of the Whisker family, the cooperative, contentious, highly dramatic animals that race through their days on the Kalahari Desert at fast-forward speed, following the lead of their matriarch, Flower, an expert in realpolitik and breeding. Cartoonishly digging, play fighting, scent marking and war hopping, the Whiskers wind up even their toughest days in a group hug.
For The Record
Los Angeles Times Friday, August 10, 2007 Home Edition Main News Part Page News Desk 1 inches; 49 words Type of Material: Correction
'Meerkat Manor': An article in Wednesday's Calendar section about the Animal Planet series "Meerkat Manor" described meerkats as relatives of the mongoose and the ferret. According to the American Society of Mammalogists, although meerkats are highly social relatives of the mongoose, ferrets belong to a separate family of carnivores.
As fans made "Meerkat Manor's" Season 2 finale Animal Planet's most watched prime-time show, television crews, newspaper and magazine reporters and curious individuals have worn ruts in the three dirt roads leading to the Fellow Earthlings' Wildlife Center. The center has a laundry basket full of cards, photos and drawings, not to mention gifts and handmade meerkat-themed curios, including a meerkat quilt.
With Season 3 launching on Friday, and a feature film planned for next year, the wait for ordinary visitors to see the seven meerkats inside their spacious enclosures now runs about six months, said founder Pam Bennett-Wallberg.
The nonprofit center has partnered with Animal Planet in a contest ending Aug. 30 that features a visit to the center as the grand prize. Bennett-Wallberg also serves as a publicity spokeswoman for the series.
For a few hours, visitors (who usually pay a $100 adoption fee) can watch the meerkats at their daily routine: sunning, romping around, mutual grooming and hugging at sunset. They can enter the enclosures and, provided with thick gloves, feed the animals.
Like many celebrities, the meerkats look much smaller in real life. Relatives to the mongoose and ferrets, they're about 12 inches tall, with pups about 2 inches.
The wild Kalahari branch of meerkats, scratching for survival in the bush, probably wouldn't recognize its long-lost relatives rescued from zoos when they became sickly or elderly. While they still stand straight up and sound an alarm when a strange helicopter passes overhead, these mammals live in relative luxury. They don't have to dig five feet underground to sleep in burrows; they lounge in mini club chairs. They don't need to fight for territory; they live in pairs and threes in separate enclosures.
