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What’s the Story?

Reviewed by Emily Ashby

Meet reality TV's newest stars -- the Whiskers family. Led by a domineering matriarch, this gang of about 30 struggles to survive their surroundings (and each other) in Africa's Kalahari Desert. The Whiskers are like a lot of other reality TV subjects. But what's unique about them is that they're actually foot-tall, two-pound meerkats, whose lives were the focus of a 10-year Cambridge University study. Narrated by Sean Astin (Lord of the Rings), Animal Planet's MEERKAT MANOR introduces audiences to these feisty desert residents and their social hierarchy.

Is It Any Good?

4

Meerkat Manor is the story of a family's reliance on each other to survive the perils of their surroundings. The series offers an educational view into the wild and is a great choice for family viewing.

The matriarch, Flower, wears a radio collar that allows researchers to track the gang's movements. Flower maintains a dominant reign over the group and uses intimidation and force to ensure submission from her relatives, most of whom are her direct descendants. At the heart of it all, the meerkat pups add comic relief as they put their babysitters to the test with their playful antics.

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