Filmmakers follow a clan of meerkats as they navigate the dry season near their home in the National Geographic documentary, “Clan of the Meerkats.” The leader of the clan has just given birth and is trying to protect her cubs while her older children learn how to be tough and survive the African wild. Along the way, the clan runs into predators. One of the cubs ends up in the worst possible situation. And one of the leader’s daughters ends up pregnant at the same time leading to her temporary expulsion from the clan.

This is an excellent look at what a meerkat clan has to do survive. National Geographic shines again with another documentary that perfectly captures nature at its finest. It’s amazing to see the tough decisions the leader of the clan must make. When she and her youngest cubs get stranded over night, she tries to guide them home. But the mixture of heat and predators causes her to leave behind one of her cubs. It’s sad, but it’s clear to protect her overall clan, she must give up her smallest cub. When she and her daughter are pregnant at the same time, she expels her daughter from the clan because there isn’t enough food for two pregnant females. She’s the leader so her cubs get the food. It leads to her daughter leaving until she loses her own cubs. The daughter then returns and is welcomed back. It’s an amazing look at the meerkats circle of life.

My favorite part was seeing how the clan dealt with predators, specifically the King Cobra. The snake is deadly to any animal it bites, but the meerkats aren’t willing to sit back and just be picked off by this predator. The clan finds a way to protect the rest of the meerkats by working together to surround the snake. Eventually, the snake decides against attack. The King Cobra may be able to strike a few of the meerkats, but weighing his options, it appears he’s in a tough spot and decides discretion is the better part of valor. It’s the most dangerous of predators, but one snake is nothing for the clan of meerkats.

National Geographic has always provided some of the best nature documentaries available, and this one is no exception. While I was a big disappointed none of the meerkats were friends with warthogs or did the hula, it’s still awesome to watch them in their natural habitat. If you like to learn about animals in nature, definitely give this documentary a watch.

Rating: 4 stars

What did you think of “Clan of the Meerkats?”

Jeremy Brown

Jeremy has been a big Disney fan since he was a kid growing up during the Disney Renaissance. One day he hopes to go to every Disney Park in the world.

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