Previously on Meerkat Manor...
Ubuntu girls Ricky and Wren
hooked up with Hakuna Matata boys
Belphegor and his nephew Gurke
in what turned out to be an awkward double date.
The Native got frisky with desert player, Lewie...
While back home, Ubuntu matriarch Daisy
saw off two Zulu brothers
laying siege to her remaining daughters.
And at the Whiskers, heavily pregnant Swift
ruthlessly evicted her treacherous daughters
Pandi and Mercy.
The name Kalahari
is derived from the Setswana word Kh-arla,
meaning 'the great thirst'.
After seven long months of drought,
that thirst is being quenched at last.
As the grateful land drinks,
the desert springs into life once more.
The green shoots of recovery bring relief
after the hardship of winter.
And lonely wanderers seek a return to the comforts of home.
In Hakuna Matata territory,
Spring is definitely in the air.
Greebo, one of Flint's seven week old pups,
is captivated.
The neighbours, a pair of ground squirrels,
are putting on quite a show.
No-one else is at all interested in their antics.
They'd rather acquaint themselves
with their lush new surroundings.
Flint has picked a prime spot, replenished by the rains.
But the show-off squirrels next door quickly drive them nuts.
Azizi's had enough...
...and she gives her young nephew
a fine demonstration of her eviction technique.
Which he courageously copies.
Yeah... that showed him.
The extroverts are soon forgotten,
when a new arrival diverts everyone's attention.
It's the pups' older brother Gurke -
last seen in a steamy embrace with Wren of the Ubuntu clan.
He's welcomed back with a good dousing of Hakuna Matata scent.
It's all a bit overwhelming for young Havelock...
who is moved to safety by his new-found big brother Gurke.
The young rover has clearly matured somewhat
during his first adventure away.
But if Gurke has returned home,
what's happened to Wren, Ricky and uncle Belphegor?
Elsewhere, Ubuntu leader Daisy
has her brooding eye on the horizon.
She has recently moved the family
back into the heart of her territory
and settled in a remote spot near the usually dry river bed.
Now that she's over half way through her pregnancy,
the biggest threat she faces is not from rovers...
...But from her closest kin.
Ricky, Wren and The Native are all absent,
enjoying the charms of roving males.
But desert flings tend to be short-lived...
so there's a good chance that at least one of them will return.
But they may not get a warm welcome.
Any of them could be coming home pregnant -
which would pose a deadly threat to Daisy's newborns.
Should the girls show up, Daisy will be ready for them.
In Whiskers territory,
the Manor's oldest serving matriarch
is facing a problem she hasn't had in a while.
A childcare crisis.
And it's of her own making.
Overnight, Swift gave birth to her 15th litter.
The new pups are safely underground,
but for the next 48 hours
they're at their most vulnerable...
...so they need experienced babysitters.
The problem is, Swift has kicked out her most capable nannies,
those that are left are barely out of daycare themselves...
...which means there's an awful lot more mucking around
than there is mucking in.
Swift does her best to keep a lid on things but,
the workload for her and partner Brea is relentless.
With all these extra demands on her,
Swift sensibly chooses to forage close to home.
At the burrow, Ha-chee and Fly
are doing a commendable job at underground security -
but they're not old enough to wet nurse the pups.
So Swift has to keep returning to feed them.
The change in family dynamics is exhausting for the new mum
whose responsibilities were demanding enough before this.
If the Whiskers are to thrive,
Swift's youngsters are going to have to grow up fast.
In a far-flung corner of the manor,
someone is sporting a new radio tracker.
It's Belphegor!
The Hakuna Matata rover was last seen
playing goosebury to Gurke, and his Ubuntu lover, Wren.
But there's no sign of Wren, or her cousin Ricky now.
Ticks indicate nobody has groomed him for a while.
With Gurke already home,
it seems the once-promising foursome
is now down to a lonesome one.
His head bobbing shows that he feels under threat.
The dishevelled rover is also sporting a slight limp...
A clash with Gurke perhaps?
Or another rival male who whisked the ladies away.
It's a set-back,
but a seasoned rover simply brushes himself down
and starts again.
The most successful can secure themselves
the top job of dominant male by starting a new family.
But Belphegor is far from being a roving legend.
Down on his luck, it looks like this pitiful traveller
may also be on a long journey home.
Belphegor isn't the only one
facing an inglorious return to family.
After being jilted by desert player Lewie,
The Native is scratching out a lonely meal
close to the Ubuntu burrow.
Ants are hardly fine dining
but surface bugs are the safest option
when no-one's watching your back.
She's facing the unenviable - yet all too familiar -
situation of single desert female
Unadopted by a rover, unacceptable to other families,
and therefore fated with a short life expectancy UNLESS...
...she can make amends with mum.
Good luck with that!
The Native may be within spitting distance of her family
but she couldn't be further away from a welcome embrace.
After travelling all morning, Belphegor stops for a snack.
He's finally reached a familiar landmark.
Flint's favoured roadside diner,
on the border of Hakuna Matata territory.
He now has a good chance of picking up the family scent...
...as long as the rain hasn't washed it away.
But a glimpse of someone in the distance
stops him in his tracks.
Whoever it is doesn't look like family...
He needs to get closer...
Maybe it's a new evictee to try his luck with.
But this is no female.
It's none other than Pixie -
the Zulu chancer last seen
making a play for Daisy's girls with his brother Jay.
Belphegor seems surprisingly pleased to meet him.
The boys are both in need
of gentle grooming and companionship
and it's nobody's business but theirs.
Still close to their burrow,
the Whiskers are making the most
of the bounty the rains have provided.
Keeping lookout -
while everybody else tucks in - is elderly Brea.
He's taken over Lilac's duties
as there's still no sign of the rover's return.
It's quite a strain for the old boy.
His heart is willing, but he tires fast.
And there are bolt holes that need scent marking
and clearing too.
When Dad finally tries to take a break...
one of his youngest sons, Loo-pin,
shows a willingness to step up.
This is Loo-pin's moment to help protect his family.
As for the others, play fighting is the main pre-occupation.
At almost a year old, sisters Ha-chee, Lay-ka and Fly
are on the cusp of adulthood.
They are dedicated to the family now,
but soon they too will attract the attention of rovers...
and their loyalty to their mother will be tested.
But for now, Swift can sleep easy.
As dusk descends,
The Native is still lurking at the edge of the Ubuntu burrow.
Given Daisy's unforgiving mood, she's either brave...
...or desperate.
Oblivious to her presence,
the rest of the family is preparing for bed.
Coming in closer is a risky move...
It turns out she is embarking on an audacious strategy...
... following the others down for the night.
As long as she still has her distinctive Ubuntu scent...
She should be hidden in the maze of tunnels,
right under her mother's nose.
The Native is first up; waiting nervously as, one by one,
the rest of the family surfaces.
Now, shoulder to shoulder with her siblings
she is risking her life for reconciliation.
They're not exactly rolling out the red carpet
but they seem to be tolerating her.
But what about the boss?
Pregnant or not, there's no holding Daisy back.
The Native must go - once and for all.
Yet again, a female's fate
is sealed by her heavily pregnant matriarch.
Things are getting off to a more sedate start
in Hakuna Matata territory,
where Belphegor and Pixie's bromance is blossoming.
They take some time to bathe together in the morning sun...
before setting off for brunch.
Whether they know it or not,
they are leisurely strolling towards Flint's new burrow
where the Hakuna Matata are also enjoying
a relaxed start to the day...
until Ogg and Greebo discover a dead snake...
which Ogg has no intention of sharing.
Not even with his big brother Gurke.
With all this providing a distraction,
nobody notices Pixie and Belphegor's arrival
50 yards away.
But Belphegor has spotted them.
His family!
Surely this scene of domestic bliss
is the perfect opportunity for a happy reunion?
But Belphegor seems hesitant.
Now with Pixie in tow,
maybe he's not such a family man after all.
He decides to take his chances.
with his buddy by his side...
A roving life on the open road...
...together.
Two months of rain have resulted in an eruption
of tall sourgrass.
-Over in Whiskers territory,
keeping everyone together
is proving nerve-wracking for Swift.
At the Hakuna Matata burrow,
the sap is causing eye infections,
when sharp eyes are needed more than ever.
Who knows what could be lurking in all this?