About 4-5 years ago I saw a program on cable TV about meerkats.  I
think it was National Geographic, but I'm not certain.

The program was an hour long and was about a family group of meerkats
-- either a span of one year of their lives, or maybe just a couple of
seasons. There was definitely a drought season to be endured. 

I would like to know where I can buy this on either VHS or DVD --
preferably an online source.

Dear natalie5111-ga 

The documentary is without doubt the award winning Meekats United
produced by David Attenborough of the BBC Natural History Unit. It has
won many awards and has been shown world-wide. I remember watching it
myself and your description is very accurate. Two programmes have been
made in fact. Meekats United and Meekats Divided. Meerkats United is
the tale of a gang of meerkats who, despite a hot and hostile
landscape, manage to survive through team work. Meerkats Divided
follows the events when rivalries and rituals split the close-knit
group.

Both titles are available in PAL format (Europe) on video:
Meerkats United and Divided
http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/B00004CS1D/ref=br_lf_li_1_2/202-8218713-0512655
http://www.lastminute-dvd.com/video/item/7000000038882

I do not know where you are located in the world, but other sites
appear to stock it in the UK, Germany and Australia and these can be
found in the search strategy below.

Only one of the titles has been released in NTSA format (US). Meerkats
United and the Bee-Team. Limited availability. Best sites:

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/6303926304/qid=/sr=/ref=cm_lm_asin/t/102-5423142-0279357?v=glance#product-details
Or
http://www.videolearning.com/S3203.HTM

I could find no DVD copies.

Please ask for clarification of this research, or if the links do not
work, before rating the answer.

answerfinder-ga

Search strategy
“meerkats united” video
://www.google.com/search?q=%22meerkats+united%22+video&hl=en&lr=&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&start=0&sa=N

---

Request for Answer Clarification by natalie5111-ga on 28 Dec 2002 08:44 PST

If you have seen the program you describe, do you remember a very sad
part of it in which one of the female meerkats is injured by another
animal when she gets separated from the group -- and while she is
dying of her injuries, she tries to leave the burrow, and her mother
comes and comforts her?

---

Clarification of Answer by answerfinder-ga on 28 Dec 2002 10:02 PST

Dear natalie5111-ga
I cannot specifically recall. I can recall the group trying to deal
with threats from other animals and birds. The style of the programme
was to examine the meerkats as individuals and almost gives them
personalities whilst they interacted in their group.
If it helps this is the description from the BBC site:
"Meerkats United - Perched upright, high on a termite mound in the
Kalahari Desert, a furry brigand, only 12 inches tall, gazes with
beady eyes across the arid wilderness. He's a meerkt and he's on
sentry duty! Meerkats are a kind of mongoose; curious little creatures
who live in gangs and use brilliant teamwork to survive in their
hostile environment. This delightful film follows the lives of one
band of these outrageous characters for whom survival demands that
they're all for one and one for all!
Meerkats Divided - Together the Meerkats are strong, social and
content. But what happens when rivalries and rituals split the
close-knit group apart? A young female, seen as a threat by Brown Eyes
the dominant and pregnant female, is bullied and beaten by the rest of
the gang.
Narrated by David Attenborough. 1996"
http://www.bbcshop.com/bbc_shop/product.asp?shop=bbc&pf%5Fid=2538&mscssid=7SP60VN63SSR2NQD0002U40F6WNK1LN5

Hello natalie5111-ga,

I’m pretty sure that the show you are referring to is “A Meerkat
Family Saga” which appeared on The Discovery Channel.

I found it referred to several times on the web:

eMeerkats
http://meerkat.dns2go.com/info.htm

KAOS2000
http://www.kaos2000.net/archives/backpages/tvlistings.html


I believe it is also the same as "Meerkats: A Kalahari Saga" Which is
referred to here:

Discovery Channel Global Education Fund
http://www.discoveryglobaled.org/whatwedo/program7.html

Unfortunately, I only found one place that appears to have it for
sale.  It’s a video store in Indonesia and it doesn’t seem to me that
you can order online:

DISKMART INDONESIA
http://www.diskmart.co.id/s-cat-ed.htm#EDUCATIONAL


Maybe another researcher can find it.

Good Luck.

Googlenut

Hi, there!

Adding to googlenut's comment:

There are several videos available which could fit the bill.  One is
"Wild Discovery: Meerkats - A Kalahari Saga" which amazon.co.uk dates
at April 1998, • PAL format
• ASIN: B00004CWEC 
• Catalogue Number: VC6689 
This may have limited availability.

The UK site also lists David Attenborough's BBC documentary "Meerkats
United And Meerkats Divided" with a 1-2 week dispatch date.  (The
BBC's own shop lists this as out of stock, so you may still be
disappointed.)
• PAL format
• Catalogue Number: BBCV5805

Amazon.com lists "Meerkats, Cohorts of the Kalahari" with a 1996 date,
and this may be available only as a used product.

I had great difficulty searching the Discover Channel shop and
similarly the National Geographics online store was not over-helpful,
search-wise.

Good luck with your quest.

I saw a documentary here in Australia just a couple of weeks ago
called "Meerkat Madness" which sounds a lot like the doco you're
looking for. On the Australian Broadcasting Commission website, they
have a synopsis. Or do a search for "meerkat madness" and you get
quite a few hits which might help you determine if this is the one.
For the record, I absolutely loved this docuementary.

http://abc.net.au/wild/guide/prog9.htm