Become a Friend

Are you a fan of Meerkat Manor and the Whiskers and want to know all about the real-life meerkat stars? Do you want to support research at the Kalahari Meerkat Project? Or can you just not get enough of these intriguing furry little creatures? Whatever your reasons, you have come to the right place! 

For decades, the KMP has studied meerkats in South Africa’s Kalahari Desert. Over the years, the KMP meerkats have been featured in two television series, a movie, and numerous documentaries.  The original Oxford Scientific Film’s ‘Meerkat Manor’ series starring the KMP’s meerkats, propelled meerkats into the limelight and these highly social and endearing animals became hugely popular with audiences around the world. In addition to meerkats, the KMP has also studied Cape ground squirrels, Damaraland mole-rats, bat-eared foxes, both yellow and slender mongooses, leopard tortoises, and several bird species including hornbill, drongo and pied Babbler.

Become a Friend and have unlimited access to all the meerkat information the FKMP website contains and chat with fellow meerkat enthusiasts.

With your paid membership as a Friend, you will have access to detailed descriptions of all of the KMP's current meerkat groups, including a group members listing (updated monthly) and a photo gallery.  Each month there will be updated information from the Life History Data File including a chart of each groups' habituation status, births and deaths, immigrations and emigrations, dominant individuals and more.  Detailed information about data collection and the Life history File is provided. Follow the highs and lows of individual meerkats and the meerkat groups in the monthly publication of The Meerkatter, a 4-8-page journal featuring articles on meerkat behavior, meerkat profiles and group and individual meerkat happenings. The Groups Territories Map displays each group's territories on the reserve and is updated monthly.  A Friends-only chat is one of the highlights of membership, providing a moderated forum to discuss your favorite meerkats and meerkat-related topics. Members also get exclusive info on Meerkat Manor, including biographies of Rise of the Dynasty's most well-known stars. 

Coming soon will be the histories of the KMP's lost groups, special features and more.

(Will there be visits for the Friends like the good ole days? Ask Marta)

Meerkat Manor is a unique ‘docudrama’ series based on the real lives of the charming meerkats at the KRC. Produced by Caroline Hawkins for Oxford Scientific Films, with four successive 13-part episodes  between 2004 and 2008, this Emmy-nominated series told the story of the Whiskers meerkat family and its leader, Flower, as they struggled to survive life in South Africa's harsh Kalahari Desert.  Reaching 204- million households in more than 160 countries, Meerkat Manor became a worldwide hit and was the Animal Planet Network's highest-rated show over its four seasons. In 2021 a fifth series, Meerkat Manor: Rise of the Dynasty, picked up with the real-life stories of her grandchildren and great-grandchildren.