National Geographic visits MV Home
from Hi-Desert Star, January 27, 2001
Story and Photo by Michele Pinney

MORONGO VALLEY -- A National Geographic production crew with Boyd Matson, the adventurist and host of the six-year-old "Explorer" series, came to this Hi-Desert hamlet Wednesday to film lead-in segments for an upcoming show.      The meerkats living at Fellow Earthlings' Wildlife Center brought them to Morongo Valley.      Pam and Phil Wallberg run the facility, the only privately licensed meerkat facility in North America, and are the keepers of four of the rambunctious, cheeky and fun-loving natives of Africa's Kalahari Desert. The local population of meerkats, however, is soon to balloon -- 4-year-old Remi is pregnant. Pam Wallberg, founder of Fellow Earthlings' Wildlife Center in Morongo Valley, introduces Remi, a meerkat, to National Geographic's "Explorer" series host Boyd Matson at the facility Wednesday. Matson and a film crew were there to shoot footage for an upcoming show.      Pam Wallberg spent several weeks last summer studying meerkats on their own turf as part of an elite group of naturalists and zoologists from around the world. The National Geographic Society was there to document the event and, according to Matson, who has already previewed "Meerkat Madness," the segment fills about one-third of the two-hour "Explorer" show.      With a storm front closing in on the crew Wednesday afternoon, Remi stepped into the role of star with ease.       She charmed Matson, and vice-versa. Remi's bold and insistent demands for the meal worms she knew were in the familiar mug Matson held amused the seasoned host, who deftly kept the meerkat in the shot while telling millions of invisible viewers, "In the Kalahari, it's sheer madness."      Remi refused to share the spotlight with her mate, Suri, the father of her children, and chased him away with angry chatter when he got too close to Matson.      As the crew shot take after take of introductions, "stay tuned" breaks and sign-offs for the "Explorer" segment, Remi often acted as if on cue.      She stood up on her haunches and looked directly into the camera as Matson commented to viewers about how "cute" meerkats are. In another take, the host uses the word "playful" and Remi mischievously steals a peacock feather from his lap and scurries away. After about an hour of shooting, the meerkat apparently decided she'd had enough and, as the star of this production, exercised her prerogative to leave the set.      With an arrogant twitch of her tail, Remi disappeared into her little house.      Matson's lifetime of up-close wildlife experiences have given him an easiness even the skittish meerkats appreciated.      His patience and understanding of Remi's need to retreat were taken in stride as if it were a scheduled break and he simply took the time to stretch his own legs.      Several minutes later Remi peered out from the small door, glanced at the men still in her pen as if to say, "You guys still here?" then slunk back inside.      But, being a professional, Remi again emerged, but this time refreshed and ready to shoot the closing scene. It wasn't long before the veteran celebrity and the new shooting star were told, "That's a wrap," just as the first few sprinkles of rain began to fall.      Remi seems to have readily adopted the legacy left her by Timon; the most famous meerkat immortalized in "The Lion King" will be remembered because of Remi and the rest of the mob at the wildlife center.      Learn more about meerkats and Fellow Earthlings' Wildlife Center at www.FellowEarthlings.org and watch National Geographic's "Explorer" at 8 p.m. Feb. 18 on CNBC.