Alice’s Diary of First Friend’s Visit October 2008 Arriving at Upington and getting everyone together is quite a task. Rounding us up at the airport, setting us free to go to the store to buy some snacks or items that we might need for the next 2 weeks is also interesting to see. We rush through the store buying cookies, pretzels, peanuts, water, soda, and other items. Larry is trying hard to find bacon. We stop at a little sidewalk café to have a lunch before the 3+ hour ride to the farmhouse and our home away from home. Rob finally rounds us up and away we go. I am tired, and I am hot, but most of all, I am so excited to be here. I can’t believe it. I’m in South Africa and on my way to see the meerkats. As we travel along, we hear about a call from 2 students that have broken down and need a ride. Now, there are six of us in the vehicle already. Luckily, the students are girls so we can make room. It is a tight ride, a dusty ride, but one of excitement. The 2 are students from Germany and Switzerland. There are people from all over the world at this reserve doing field research and assisting. Who would have known? We get to the farmhouse and are introduced to Sophie. We settle into our rondavel, unpacking and putting things in the drawers. We are given our safety tips…scorpions are not our friends…..wear closed toe shoes at night…...keep an eye out for snakes that can be huffing or slinking about….drivers….watch out for the stones thrown from the cars as they pass you on the gravelly road, etc. It is nice weather so Brenda, Larry and I go for a little walk. About 20 Eland are in the field. The sun is setting and the colors are beautiful. The dust and dirt are something else, though. It will be hard to keep things clean. Weather is predicated to be nice. After a car ride when its 100º, it will be nice just to be outside. The sweat evaporates right off you. Dinner smells good so off I go to eat. I hope it’s something good. I find out it is mutton. Tastes good. Time to settle down for the evening. Tomorrow is an early rise. Get to meet the Aztecs including Zaphod, Monkulus, Alonzo Mourning and others. Can’t wait. Hope I can sleep. Day One Morning visit to AZTEC As night was ending and time to arise had come, a stark realization hit…….I was going to see the meerkats and it was COLD outside. I thought it might be cool, but it was COLD! A breeze was blowing in the night air and I made a mad dash for the bathrooms. I dressed warmly. Thank goodness for having a fleece jacket with me! I walked over to the house and got myself some breakfast. The corn flakes were as cool as the morning, but the warm cup of coffee was great. Everyone was gathering for the first visit of the day. Sophie was leading the 3 of us, Jane, Sally, and me to see the Aztecs. Getting to see Zaphod and the Aztecs was a dream about to come true. Is Zaphod the same as I saw on

TV, is he older but wiser, is he still the grand Meerkat I had thought about? All these questions about to be answered, I hoped. We got in the truck and drove to where they were sleeping. It wasn’t far down the road. We didn’t park close to the burrow. The cold breeze was still blowing. Would they get up when the sun rose over the horizon or wait awhile to see if the wind would calm down? We waited and waited talking among ourselves, looking over the environment that was Aztec. Cold and dreary looking for this time of year (just turning spring). Not much movement except for us trying to warm up a little. And then, out of the corner of my eye was movement. Zaphod and Alonzo Mourning had gotten up. A signal that they were ready to get up, to warm up to what sunshine there was between the cool breeze that was blowing. Seeing Zaphod made my heart go a flutter. Just to be able to see him in person was amazing. He looked older than the others and he looked larger than some of the others, wasn’t sure if he looked a little grayer than the others from the way the sun was hitting him. Slowly the rest of the group emerged from the burrow. I watched as Sophie weighed them and they moved so cautiously to find a spot that was warming and blocking the breeze. Aztecs made a move to find some food. They traveled in little spurts stopping to sun. They began digging for food and had to dig far into the ground. They didn’t travel very far that morning. They stayed close to the area of the burrow, but did move around. Monkulus was busy searching, the pups born in August were busy begging, and Alonzo Mourning was quite the gentleman, letting Zaphod be the dominant. Dearest little Piglet, named by our own Sophie, was so darling. He had a tick hanging off his nose that was driving me crazy. All worked hard at finding food and keeping warm. The sun was warming as it turned into early morning. I noticed some Swallow-tailed Bee-eaters in a tree were watching us. Their feathers shined a brilliant blue, green, and yellow from the morning sun. They sat quietly watching us as we watched them. A couple of Yellow-billed Hornbills flew around where we were. They made sure that we knew they were in the area.

I watched as Zaphod sat in the large roots of a tree like the king of the meerkats, checking out his kingdom. I watched as he dug a deep hole looking for food and saw the barking gecko run past him as he picked up his head to take a break. (Found out then that the meerkats have great vision for very far away, but have poor sight for close objects). I watched as Zaphod chinned a pup. I took a picture of the two sitting by each other. As you can tell, I watched Zaphod a lot!!! Not

everyday you are close to someone so special. He was still quite handsome for his old age. Gee I just love him. I’m watching as Monkulus has a big burr hanging off her back. Just want to reach down and yank it off. I guess she’ll get groomed later on or maybe it will come off while she is in the brushes. The morning passes by and it is time for mid-morning weigh-ins and then back to the farmhouse. I can only hope there is hot coffee. Maybe it will warm up more. The temperature is rising slowly. I may even take off the fleece. The afternoon session should be warmer. We use this time to eat lunch, take a break, nap, or walk. Afternoon visit to WHISKERS We gathered again for our late afternoon visit to see the famous Whiskers. The group stays close to the farmhouse where the researchers are living. They are far enough away from it but still a little too close for me personally. We arrived with the Whiskers foraging in the road by the house. It was soft sand and only those going to the farmhouse would be using this road. A call is made on the radio to let those who may be on the road know the meerkats’ location. The group is small in size but looking at Ella gave us great optimism. She was HUGE! She is definitely giving birth to a few meerkats. Everyone was praying she would go into labor before we left for the week, like anxious parents watching one of our own getting ready to deliver. The group only foraged in a small area but was moving from the burrow they had been in.

We talked among ourselves at how small the group was and that the only pup, Savuka, was being well fed. Thundercat worked at getting food. Nugget and Juno were busy, as well as Marico, Oriole, and Sabota. They all took turns making sure that Savuka was taken care of. He may be the only pup, but he is large enough to get his own. Once the new pups come, it will be interesting to see how much less he will be catered to. The afternoon session is not as long as the morning. We watch as Nate gathers

them to weigh them before they settle down for the night. Ella has gained weight again. She is going to POP!

Day Two Morning visit to LAZULI You could feel the difference in the air. A little cool, but you know it is going to get warm and get warm quickly. I have a jacket on, a long sleeve shirt and a tee shirt. I think I’m overdressed already. Sure not like yesterday morning. We pull up to where the Lazuli were last seen and there is a 10 foot fence staring at us. I know we have to climb it. There is a section that has a makeshift ladder to help get me over. It wasn’t really that bad. Got myself over and waited for the others. We are actually on someone else’s farm. We have permission to be there. There are big, black headed sheep roaming around.

We are there for a short time when up pops Machu Pichu. He has been the first up lately. He has also been a little “crazy” since the snake bite. He has a very large scar going across the left side of his head. It is quite noticeable. The other meerkats get up in another section of the burrow. Makes you think. Did Machu Pichu sneak back in after they went to bed? Is he being shunned from the group? Kirsty weighs the meerkats and suddenly Machu Pichu is gone. I spot him on the hill to the side of

where the others are. I start up to see him and the Lazuli start a little war dance on Machu Pichu. They begin chasing him away. I want to cry. Poor Machu Pichu is being chased from his family. They stop and then continue chasing him out of sight. I feel so bad. Is he really so crazy that they chase him off? Are Young or Wollow just tired of his presence? None of them is speaking! The meerkats begin foraging. They dig some really deep holes. You can just about see them because they go in so deep. The pups, 4 of them, start their begging. That is something to see. Sometimes they dig but most of the time they beg and cry and beg and cry, just like babies. Axel is very good at what he does. He pup feeds and is always going on sentry duty. Almost like watching him grow, from watching the show, if it’s the same Axel. He may be a good dominant some day. Just need to find the right lady for him. Let’s see. If he could go over to the Whiskers group, Oriole and Sabota might be a good match, or McDreamy, yes McDreamy, would be a good mate. (McDreamy is a girl) But no match making here. He has to do this on his own.

Rhogan Josh has been roving so he has a radio collar on like Young. The others all take turns at pup feeding, sentry duty and just lounging under the shade of the drie doring bushes or a log as it warms up. Rufus is another good sentry guard. Before you know it, the morning is over and Kirsty takes the mid-morning weights and we leave. It is quite a busy morning, quite different from yesterday which was a slow pace. I think each visit is getting better and better. Again we meet back at the farmhouse to have lunch, rest, walk, or whatever we need to do. Afternoon visit to COMMANDOS

This afternoon’s adventure is going out with Rob and Sally to see the Commandos. My job is to try to find the “poop” on them. What I mean by that is collect some samples of their poop. But first we have to find them. They have been on the move since the morning and we have not parked close to them. We walk for a while and then Rob starts to” hmm, hmm, hmm” which is our signal that the meerkats are near. We see them sitting around a large tree that has fallen over. They are even climbing

on it to check things out. The sun is getting low in the sky so shadows in this area make it hard to see them. If it’s not tall grass, or dry grasses, it’s the sun in your eyes. It’s very blinding. Anyway, the group had been on the move to try to find some food. I happen to spot one of the meerkats stooping so I am able to get my scoop or poop. I even got 2 more and a pup. The poop is used to find out information about their hormones and other things. Nice to be part of research and do something so rewarding. The meerkats move around foraging. Zorilla looks like one tough gal. Coop is also wearing a radio collar as he is also being tracked as a rover. Our dear little Karim doesn’t look too good. His face is swollen. He looks like he has the mumps. Not a good sign. There were 6 pups, but one seems to be missing. (of course, I might have miscounted) 2 are from Zorilla and 4 are from Samba. They are so cute, but that begging is something else. We travel quite a distance before they finally get to the burrow they want to sleep in. They start the usual cleaning and grooming and then they spot movement over to the left and start a little war dance. We laugh as we can see that it is a flock of guinea fowl that are over in the other farm. The group comes back and the flock moves again and they do

a little war dance again. It is starting to get dark, so I do hope they settle down because we normally wait 10 minutes after they go down into their burrows before we leave. And guess what they do! They do the war dance again! Even Rob says they need to settle down, it’s only the guinea fowl. He laughs. They go down, we wait, and using a flashlight we head back to the truck. Luckily today it was only a 4 foot fence, because in the dark they are all tricky to climb over. I think I could eat a horse from all this movement today. Well, maybe not a horse, but something. Day Three Morning visit to KUNGFU We are at KungFu this morning with Sally, Larry and Kirsty. I wonder if today will be as exciting as yesterday. We are here earlier than before, as they are getting up earlier. It isn’t long before they get up. They do the usual foraging, and sentry duty, and things they normally do. Nothing outstanding, but do love to see them work! Ningaloo loves Larry and climbs on him. Even Eliot has been staring at him. The pups are looking for shade and will stand by us in our shadows. They are not a large group and you get to know them quickly. Kleintjie is not a happy mom-to-be. She forages on the outside of the group but never very far away. If a pup begs from her too much she just seems to disappear. Any food she finds is for her. The 4 sub-adults are easy to remember by their markings: Eliot has a right thigh marking (T.S. Eliot, writer), McDreamy has left thigh markings (always leaving, even if it’s a girl), Bauer has markings on his right shoulder (24’s Bauer is always getting shot or is it after our Evi???), and Woolf’s markings are mid-back. Kleintjie is the DF who is a newly pregnant, and Ningaloo has a radio collar and is always on sentry duty or pup feeding, plus the adorable 4 pups.

You can see them working together as a family unit. Feeding themselves but making sure there is some for the pups. Caring for each other by watching out for their safety. Looking for something better whether it’s food or a place to look for food. What a family! Why can’t we try to learn a little from them? OF COURSE, look out when they don’t get their way! Growling, snarling of teeth, hip slamming, running, and stealing food is not uncommon. I guess when you’re good you’re good,

but when you’re bad, look out! The morning goes by quickly. Nothing really wild but boy is there lots to see. One time, a Fork-tailed Drongo watched as one of the meerkats dug up some food. It sat watching

patiently and then it started to swoop down and make sounds in hopes that the meerkat would drop its meal. The Drongo will mimic calls of birds of prey in hopes that the meerkat will drop its meal and run to safety. I wanted to step in but you know that you can’t. Watching it jumping from branch to branch trying to get the food was interesting. The young meerkat got under a heavy brush area and ate his meal. The Drongo left with nothing. Lunch will be at the hotel in Vanzylsrus today. I have preordered lasagna for my meal. I heard it is supposed to be good. I didn’t remember to find out if it’s vegetarian or meat lasagna. We get there and the doorway has meerkats on the side. I do have to say that the lasagna was good. I ate half and took the other half back to eat for lunch. I even had a soda. Haven’t had any since I left the states. We were quite well packed returning back to the farmhouse as some big packages had arrived. We were at the little store getting a few things and I was kind of hoping for some postcards to send back to the students, but it is a really small store and post office. I guess my students are out of luck. Now I’m looking all over for my camera. It had to fall out when I opened my purse while jammed in the back. Must have fallen out and I sure hope it’s in the truck. When Sophie gets back from delivering the packages to the farm with the researchers, I check the truck and there it is. Thank goodness. I take a quick nap and get ready for the afternoon session with the Aztec. Afternoon visit to AZTEC WELL, here we go. As we are pulling up we see that the Aztec have moved to the other side of the roadway up on the hill and they are chasing some rover away. Missed all the action. Dave spots them first but by the time we get to the top of the hill it’s over. They start some frenzy behavior. Zaphod is scent marking things and we watch as he jumps in a hole where Monkulus is. I can’t believe what I see. She is trying to get out of the hole and he is in there. The old man still has it. He is rubbing against things and then things start to settle down. Dave asks me to do the GPS readings. (He had to give me a quick refresher lesson as I really didn’t remember all of it.) I start the GPS readings and record their location every 10 minutes. The little darlings start moving toward the burrow where they were on the first morning. They are on the move. I almost don’t get the last 10 minutes on the GPS recorder trying to keep up with them. They get over to the sleeping burrow and settle down. The sun is setting and I am wondering if they are going to behave like the Commandos did yesterday and not settle down right away. I can just about see the GPS recorder. Dave gives the time to record when they finally went down. I have to use the correct time as everyone has their watches set to the same time. (Nice to know) Dinner was some kind of spicy Taco flavored meat with rice. The cake was really good. Sally and I look at the stars. We see Scorpio and look for the Southern Cross. Sophie

gives us a book to help indentify the stars. I can even see the Milky Way! I haven’t seen it since I was a kid. Amazing what you can see with no lights of the city or pollution. It is beautiful. I start looking for things around my feet, though. I have the flashlight ready. There is a gecko hanging around my room. He makes noises all night long. I was going to chase him but Sophie says he eats the bugs so he can stay. I think I’ll take a picture of him and make him my new pet. Just as I am about to take its picture, I slide off the bed and drop the camera to the floor. I can tell by the ding in it I’m in trouble. I try taking some pictures but NO. I try again in the morning but NO. The pictures look like ghosts. I could cry. I only brought the one camera. I will try the binoculars, but I really want the camera. How stupid could have I been. Day Four Morning visit to KUNGFU I’m getting to like these guys. I spend more and more time with them. Dave H. and Brenda are with me today. I told Brenda about dropping the camera. I didn’t tell her how I did it. Dave is also having bad luck. The batteries are not working for the scale. We can’t weigh the meerkats. It is windy again and they are on alert. Birds of prey are in sky today. The group is not going far from the burrow. Ningaloo is on full alert. He even climbs on Dave’s head. I thought I had a picture on the binoculars but I lost it somewhere. Brenda took some pictures of me behind the meerkats. I hope they come out. Today I am collecting poop samples again. I get Ningaloo and then Woolf decides to leave me a present. Just as I finish up one, then two pups start. I told them I can only do one at a time. It didn’t bother them at all that I was getting information on the collection bag. I was able to catch only one of the pup’s markings so I couldn’t use the other’s sample. That wasn’t very nice of the little guy. It starts to calm down a little so they go out again but there are many predator calls. I see that there are a few white-backed vultures and a marshal eagle overhead. Not a good day to be a meerkat. They stay under trees and close to the brush. I don’t blame them. Dave re-dyes the meerkats. This is good! Maybe I can see their markings better now. Some were a little hard to see. They give a quick twitch when he puts the mark on them. I don’t know if it’s because it’s cold or if it’s something touching them that makes them turn to see what it is. We walk to the gate and wait to be picked up. Afternoon visit to WHISKERS Sally and I are with Rob to visit the Whiskers. It is HOT!! Rob checked the thermometer. It read 37ºC which is around 104ºF. They are behind the researchers’ farmhouse this afternoon. Some have even gone down into the burrow because it is so warm outside and cooler underground. I watch as they work in the heat of the day to find

some food. I can’t believe there would be much here. It is really low in vegetation so little place for scorpions or geckos to hide. True desert life. They roam around back and forth but not leaving the safety of the farmhouse area.

I help Sally find Thundercat and Nugget, and watch as Savuka begs and begs. Time goes by a little slower as I can’t take any pictures. Ella and the gang move towards where they will settle down. Then as if to say,” I change my mind”, she goes toward another spot. What a fickle lady. I guess she is looking for the right spot to have the pups. I hope it is a good sign. Tonight is the sheep roast. I guess I’m back to eating strange things

again. Everyone is coming over from the farmhouse for the bar-b-que. I had a salad, a small piece of the sheep, and a biscuit. It was almost 9:30 by the time we got to eat so I’m not really hungry. I did have some wine, though. Hit the spot. I am dead tired. Tomorrow is an easy day as we only go out once. Day Five Morning visit to LAZULI Dave B. takes Brenda and me out to see them. They are at the bottom of the hill where I last saw them. A wildebeest is hanging around, but he let’s us walk right by him. I still keep my eye on him. We wait for a while for them to get up. It’s almost 7:15. Some other groups have already been up and on the move. Dave starts the weigh-ins. Brenda and I spot Eland on the left. They are slowly working their way towards us. They are still far enough away, for now, but Dave states that if they get much closer we are leaving with or without the weights. I am very happy as I don’t want to be skewered by some animal so far from home. Dave finishes and we start back to the truck. We are no sooner to the truck, when we see that the Eland are right where we were a few moments ago. I guess we were in their spot. We go back to the farm house. Today is Sunday, a quiet day for the researchers. Dave and Sophie are going to take us to the Big Dune for a picnic. We need to pack a lunch and be ready. Gee…the famous dune from the show. I wait and get some laundry done. A unique machine, it is but at least I have some clean clothes. I can’t believe that we are down to our last day with the meerkats. I want to see so much more, watch so much more, and do so much more. But there is no more time. While doing the wash I look outside the wash room window. The trees are starting to bloom. I see flowers behind the bathrooms. Little butterflies are on

the ground. One tree on the other side of the farmhouse smells like lilac. I love the clean smell of it! You can see new green life in the dry brown brushes. Spring is coming. I will not get to see the colors on the reserve. I will not see new pups born. I hang up the clothes and they dry quickly. Some take a little longer but not long at all. We go out to the Big Dune and it is beautiful. The burnt orange colored sand is so soft. We have our sandwiches, chips, and water. We climb to the top of the dune and see a beautiful horizon that stretches for miles and miles. It is fun walking in the sand. A good cardio workout if ever there was one! We will be going on a sundowner and a game drive this evening. Supposed to be a quiet day, but they are keeping us busy. The dune where we go for the sundowner is nice. Not as beautiful as the Big Dune, but it is nice. And then, we see the sunset. Again, there are not enough words to describe the sunsets. The colors of red, yellow, orange, and the different hues of blues are just amazing. I really wish my camera worked. Kick myself over and over and over. We get on the truck and go for the night drive. The stars shine above us. The air is turning cool now that the sun is down. The air blowing past us from the truck can give you a chill. It is just something else. Sophie is manning the spotlight finding animals trying to hide in the grass. Eyes are glowing at us. She makes Dave stop the truck when we want to look. The night air is cool and refreshing and making me sleepy. Day Six Morning visit to KUNGFU

This is a busy morning. The meerkats are in a rough scruffy area but they seem to be working their way to the other side of the road. The road….the road that is traveled on by the local ranchers….the road that is loose gravel…..the road where the vehicles seem to go fast. THE ROAD. No, they aren’t going to try to cross it with me there. They move closer. We don’t go by it but watch as they start slowly working their way to the side. Kleintjie and a pup are the first ones I see by the side of

the road. Looking at what seems to be better picking on the other side. I see Ningaloo go up to the road and stand in the middle. It is high ground and he can probably see. I am just nervous. Too many stories of the road. Yet, I have walked on the road while taking walks with Brenda. I know it is loose gravel, loose stones, and loose sand. We have had to move very far to the side so a thrown rock or stone didn’t injure us. We know better. They only know that it is high ground and that their territory is on the other side of this

high desert area. They don’t know of the dangers of the big machines that travel on this long and dangerous path. We go down to the gate to cross. We don’t want them seeing us do what they are doing. We get over the fence on the other side. We watch as some work their way to the top, to the side of the road. Then, we hear the low grumbling of something. I know that a vehicle is coming. You can see a dust cloud off in the distance. The sound is getting louder. Some of the meerkats have moved to the side where we now are, but there are still some on the other side. A few more have worked their way to the shoulder of the road. I can’t watch. Please don’t let anything happen while I’m here! I will be sick. Sicker than breaking my camera. I turn and squat down. Brenda is looking around at birds and things. She doesn’t want anyone to know she is concerned. Clair says she has to watch because if one is hurt she needs to know which one. I could never do that. Sally yells for them to slow down even though they can’t hear her. The meerkats are on the side of the road where we are, a few are standing on the shoulder and I think, oh no, they drive on this side of the road. And what do they do? They start back to the other side, right in front of the oncoming vehicle. This is too much for me. BUT, luck would have it, it is one of the researcher’s trucks and they see the meerkats. They know what to do. The begin making the truck growl at them like a huge white animal looking for an afternoon snack. They slowly creep past them. The meerkats work themselves back to where we are as if it was nothing. Nothing for them, but I have to dye my hair again! And I thought my kids gave me gray hair! They work around foraging, going on sentry duty, etc. It’s just another day in their lives. Ningaloo was looking for perches. He climbed on Brenda, he climbed up on Sally, and he wanted to climb on me, but I really didn’t want him too. He did climb on my leg as I knelt down looking through the binoculars trying to identify a bird. Would never know he was there. I was glad when time came to call it quits. I need a drink…..a strong drink…or at least a tall glass of cold water. When we get back to the researchers’ farmhouse, Dave takes us to see where they found our beloved Flower. We wanted to pay our respects, as it was Flower who grabbed our attention in the show and made us love the meerkats. He spoke about different film companies coming to finish up their documentaries on the meerkats from Germany and Japan. We had our pictures taken by the marker (231) that marked this burrow. It has been a long time since it has been used. Dave did tell us one thing that I thought was really important. He said we should love meerkats for being meerkats and not because of Meerkat Manor. He told us there are many meerkats and that, as a researcher, picking one out of all is not what they do. It is a scientific study that had gotten changed into a TV show. We need to learn more about the planet and working together. We should love meerkats for just being meerkats. We should love them for what they are. I thank

you Dave. Watching small animals can teach us about working together, caring for each other, and taking care of our environment. Thank you. Afternoon visit to LAZULI I was supposed to go see the Commandos, but Larry and Brenda wanted to see them. Larry needed more pictures and Brenda saw them only once, I think. I wanted to see them, but I really wanted to see Lazuli more as they are my group that I am a friend for on the site. I don’t mind changing.

Andrew takes Sally and me to see the Lazuli. They were in almost the same area as they had been in last 2 times I’ve seen them. We check the temperature and it is 42ºC in the shade which is 114º F. IN THE SHADE!!!!! They are in a brushy area. Trying to find them is hard. They are brown, the brush is brown, the downed trees are brown, and the sun is making long shadows. It just isn’t easy. We can’t seem to find Rhogan Josh. Now where is he? Andrew puts out a call and finds that

Raphael is tracking him. He is out roving. The meerkats mostly stay under this heavy downed brush. It is probably a little cooler and maybe some more yummies are there. They aren’t very mobile. You can hear the begging of the 4 pups. They sometimes scurry past your feet so you have to be careful. One pup gets a scorpion and runs between Sally’s feet. Axel has been on guard. He is looking over the river bed to the other side as if he can see something I can’t. (He probably can!) They must be working their way towards a sleeping burrow as the sun is getting ready to go down. We can see Raphael in the distance. He is with Rhogan Josh, so he has been roving too far away. And then, the group starts their pronking and run from halfway on the hill down across the riverbed, across an area. They stop for a second but then continue. Are they going to chase Rhogan Josh? Do they not know it is him coming home? I saw them chase Machu Pichu the other day. Could they be doing the same to him? They stop and start back to the sleeping burrow that they had just run past. We are again trying to find the meerkats. They are all over the place. I hope none go down before getting weighed. Andrew has his hands full. Some are cleaning the hole's entrance, some are grooming Young, and some are getting one last bite before retiring. Raphael has made it to where we are. Rhogan Josh has been allowed to come back. I told him I saw two meerkats with him and he told us that Machu Pichu was with him. Machu Pichu

is not in good shape. He has “big, juicy ticks” all around his neck. I just want to yell at Rhogan Josh and ask him why he didn’t help clean up Machu Pichu. (I know he won’t answer me.) Raphael told us that while he was running with the boys, a capped cobra was only a meter from him, which is way too close for me. Makes me want to look at where I’m standing. As the sun sets on the Lazuli group, another day comes to a close for the meerkats. The gang goes down at 7:11, ending their day, and ending our meerkat visit. We walk back in the darkness to the farmhouses to get our ride back to our rondavel. The coolness feels good. My heart is sad. My journey has come to an end, BUT, my love for the meerkats will go on. I have so much to talk about, to share with my family and friends, and things to share with my students. I can only hope that just maybe one student will be inspired to do something. Not to be afraid or unsure of something new but to try. Maybe I will be back in a few years. Maybe I won’t. Things change. I have learned from the meerkats that if you work together for the betterment of the group, things will happen. They may not always be what you want, but things happen. Always try to make a difference. I want to thank Evi and all the people who put their everything into the work that is done on the reserve. Unless you see it with your own eyes, you wouldn’t know the hard work that goes into all the things they do. To Sophie, Dave, Rob, Jess, and all those too numerous to mention who gave ME the best learning experience I can think of, THANK YOU. SO, if you are thinking of going, DO IT. You will not regret it. Don’t be afraid to learn. Volunteer! Help out! Take in everything you can! Enjoy the meerkats for what they are….meerkats.