Category
🐳
AnimalsTranscript
00:00 Meet Streppies the mongoose.
00:02 She's not only a survivor, but one heck of a fighter.
00:06 - She definitely bosses the dogs around.
00:10 - Her relentless attitude toward life
00:13 is what's allowed her to thrive,
00:15 but it's her grit and resourcefulness that's kept her alive.
00:19 At only a few months old,
00:20 Streppies had somehow lost her family
00:23 and wandered right up to a local farmer.
00:25 - It's very unusual for them to walk up to a human being.
00:27 I've never heard of it before.
00:29 And most of the times they are found,
00:31 they're found injured or they're found as babies.
00:34 They make a big noise because they scream for their mothers.
00:36 So that's how people found them.
00:39 I've never heard of one walking up to people
00:42 and wanting to be picked up.
00:43 She did the right thing at the right moment.
00:47 - Streppies' bold nature was on display right off the bat.
00:51 And it's aided her here
00:52 at Zuri Animal Orphanage in Namibia.
00:56 - She adapted to Zuri life very easy.
01:00 She's very intelligent
01:01 and she's just an absolute unique little character.
01:05 - Now the animals here are usually released
01:08 back into the wild
01:09 once they're old enough to make it on their own.
01:11 But Streppies won't be going anywhere.
01:13 Wild mongooses live in big social troops
01:16 with an average of 20 family members.
01:19 But you kinda gotta be born into 'em.
01:21 No new members in these clubs.
01:24 - It's so difficult for mongooses
01:26 because they can't just join another troop.
01:29 They have to be in their troop for all their life.
01:32 - So instead of a proper troop,
01:34 it's Erica who keeps company with Streppies.
01:37 As you can see, it's not always a walk in the park.
01:40 - When we put our shoes on in the morning,
01:44 she will run and bite our toes.
01:47 She really think this is a great game.
01:49 - Mongooses make terrible house guests
01:53 and they're full of energy.
01:55 Streppies needs well-rounded companions.
02:00 They've gotta be big enough to protect her from predators,
02:03 enjoy being out all day,
02:04 and can deal with her bossy attitude.
02:07 Hmm, these sheep, Bucky and Jellybean,
02:11 might fit the bill.
02:12 One day, the brave little mongoose
02:16 made her move toward an unorthodox friendship.
02:19 How could you win their hearts?
02:21 The best way a mongoose knows how, free grooming sessions.
02:25 Mongooses are master groomers,
02:28 picking off the parasites that bug their pals.
02:31 And while her new besties are foraging for foliage,
02:35 Streppies goes after her own snack to dine on.
02:38 But she's not into leaves.
02:40 She's got a spicier appetite.
02:42 Wild mongooses feed mainly on high-protein beetles
02:46 and millipedes, but they'll tackle most invertebrates,
02:49 like scorpions.
02:51 It's got a deadly stinger in the back,
02:54 and growing up on her own, Streppies didn't get many lessons
02:57 in how to tackle these bad boys.
02:59 But Streppies don't care.
03:01 She was born to take on anything, remember?
03:04 - The one thing I've learned from having Streppie
03:08 is to realize what a ferocious predator she is.
03:11 They're not scared of scorpions at all.
03:14 They see it, they eat it, they destroy it.
03:17 - With two best friends by her side
03:20 and daily foraging trips to look forward to,
03:22 it appears this little mongoose has it made.
03:25 - It's not something that I put together.
03:28 She found the sheep on her own, and they found her.
03:31 They found each other.
03:33 They just accept her, and she just walks with them.
03:37 I think they just see each other as a small little herd
03:41 or a small little troop.
03:43 - I love watching them.
03:46 I think it's the greatest thing on Earth
03:48 to have this interaction between these odd couple animals.
03:52 - Seriously, is there anything better?
03:55 Nah.
03:57 - A family of mongoose and a meerkat.
04:01 The animals are related, and they even kinda look alike,
04:04 but they'd never live together in the wild.
04:06 So what gives?
04:08 Well, let's start with Cameron, the meerkat.
04:11 Destined for life as the odd one out,
04:13 she's actually become the odd one in.
04:16 When she was only six months old,
04:18 Cameron and a mate were brought here
04:20 from a wildlife rescue that had run out of room.
04:23 They were to be released on a private reserve,
04:25 but sadly, her mate died, leaving Cameron all alone.
04:30 There were no other meerkats to keep her company,
04:32 but there were five mongooses of a similar age.
04:36 Could their similarities outweigh their differences?
04:38 - Meerkats, like banded mongoose, are highly social animals,
04:43 and their survival depends on being social.
04:47 She grew up with the original five mongoose that we had,
04:52 so she is part of the family,
04:54 a little bit the odd member of the family,
04:56 but member of that family.
04:58 - I mean, come on,
05:00 who doesn't have a weird aunt in the family?
05:02 But every now and then, that aunt finds a way to shine.
05:07 For Cameron, that's usually around mealtime.
05:10 For the mongoose fam, food's priority number one,
05:14 but veggies won't cut it.
05:16 Fleshy worms, grubs, and insects are on the menu.
05:20 Hey, a dead bat, bonus!
05:24 But while the rest of the clan are digging in,
05:26 Cameron has a job to do.
05:28 She's the sentry, or the lookout.
05:31 Meerkats live in open desert areas,
05:34 where predators, particularly birds of prey,
05:36 are a constant danger, so someone is always on guard duty.
05:40 To allow the group to eat in peace,
05:43 the sentry must be on high alert,
05:46 looking out for her family is what Cameron was made for,
05:49 even if they happen to be of a different species.
05:51 Belly's fully loaded, the family's ready to move on.
05:56 It's a grab-and-go type breakfast for our little lookout,
05:59 but she's cool with that.
06:00 After all that eating comes, you guessed it, dozing.
06:06 When it gets hot, post-meal naps turn heavy,
06:09 so Cameron's still on the clock.
06:13 Oh, geez, getting sleepy.
06:16 Lucky for her, the mongooses begin to stir.
06:20 Finally, Cameron can take a break.
06:22 Now awake and full of energy, next on the agenda, fun.
06:29 Play bolsters the bonds between family members.
06:33 Even though she's exhausted,
06:34 Cameron can't resist getting in on the action,
06:37 and there's an added benefit
06:38 to all this close physical contact, scent sharing.
06:42 Every member of the family has the same smell,
06:44 helping them identify one another.
06:46 Even in Cameron's case, her mongoose brothers and sisters
06:50 don't see or smell her as a meerkat,
06:53 she's simply one of them.
06:54 She even steps in as the babysitter from time to time.
06:58 See, Cameron's been one of the family for six years,
07:01 and in that time,
07:02 her mongoose family members have multiplied,
07:05 from five to 50.
07:07 Banded mongooses typically help each other raise kids,
07:11 and so Cameron's got her little hands full.
07:14 But it's a small price to pay to be everyone's favorite aunt.
07:18 - Cameron doesn't have youngsters of her own,
07:21 so she can help other mongoose to raise their children.
07:25 If there wouldn't be for the mongoose,
07:28 she wouldn't have a family.
07:30 So she gets what she actually needs
07:32 as a highly social animal.
07:34 She has a family, this is a surrogate family,
07:37 but in her eyes, I suppose it's perfect.
07:41 She might speak with a meerkat accent,
07:44 but she thinks she is a mongoose.
07:46 And they consider her as being part of the family.
07:49 - Guess the moral of the story is,
07:53 if it kinda looks like family,
07:55 and kinda smells like family,
07:57 and heck, if it puts in the work to help feed the family,
08:01 well then, that's what you call family.
08:04 (upbeat music)
08:10 (upbeat music)
08:13 (upbeat music)