Second Chance part 4 "title by makkie, written by LadyKenai"
 

Today when we went to the pond we could not see either parent. We sat on the bench for awhile looking out across the pond, toward the new nest but could not see parents or babies. There was some loud kids on a bench down the path a waise. Throwing plastic bottles around, talking loud and tough. Were these the kind of thugs that sent the parents and babies away in the first place?

Across the pond to the left I spot a fisherman. I look below him in the water, ah! One of the parents! I get the binoculars from the man purse, get all focused and spot "four" babies!!! Oh my gosh! FOUR! I said out loud, I looked closer....the babies were making thier little noise's (chirp, chirp chirp) this young fisherman must have been bothered by them, he started throwing sticks at one of the parents and had separated the babies.Why would he do this, I was disgusted!
 
 
 
Video by: wedazzleyou.com
 
   

We walked our bikes down the path more, away from the original nest around to the side opposite the dam close to where this young fishermen was standing. Over one smalle bridge, then another, then one more. I could now see both parents! Got the binoculars out and WHOA! Both parents and ALL six!!! All six babies were now headed toward the new nest across from the old one! We are so happy now.

I still wonder, why do people have to scare these little guys and thier parents? The little bridge I made with the sticks worked! There was no other possible way for these little fellas to get back home, and the first day we went back we thought only two had made it. All six babies are safe and sound this day!
Happy Baby Meerkoets and safe!!!

We went to check on the little ones today, at first we saw nothing then heard some babies chirping like they do. The sound was coming from the other side of the dam!!!  UGH, we rode our bikes over and sure enough there they were ... counting .... but there are only five babies now. The parents reconized us I am sure because they came right over to us. I am sure they were expecting us to feed them, there was still enough time in the day to get them back over the dam, so we fed them tiny pieces of cut up potatoes (we figure this is better than bread) no preservatives and so on. So we fed them for over a half an hour. Then decided to check up on the the small bridge previously made to make sure it was ok for them to try and get back up again. A city worker we presume had cut the grass sometime in the last couple days and the sticks for thier pathway up to land had been dismantled. So I fixed it back up again and put some food on and around the bottom of the small handmade bridge and above, hoping one of the parents would stand there while the small ones made it up.

Today there are no fisherman close by, so we were hoping they would remember the way back up. Then all of sudden here comes a fisherman, he brought his chair, a net and fishing pole. We watched him set up his little fishing area ... then one of the parents climbed up over the dam and then the other. Jeez now we were wondering how the heck the babies would get over. Well they started climbing up the bridge that I had made for them and four went over!!! Both the parents and the four that made it up to the grass and back in the water on the other side had started swimming toward the nest forgetting all about number five baby

Now there is one little fellow squeeking away at the bottom of the dam. I didn't see either parent coming back for number five, so makkie asked the fisherman if we could use his net to get this little one out and over to the other side. I grabbed the net and went towards the baby meerkoet slowly, he hid under a small part of the dam where it meets the grass and there was no way of getting him. So I thought I would just hold the net there until he comes out, which he did!  I now have the small one in the net, I gently lifted him out of the water on one side and put him in the water carefully on the other side of the dam,  and he started squeeking very loud and one of the parents started swimming towards us from the nest ... awe this one was saved!

The next day we went back and there were only four babies left ... the next day only two!  

Today (August 20, 2008) we went and checked on them, they were not stuck behind the dam, they were not in their nest!  We walked around over the bridges until we found them, there they were! two BIG babies and parents. We now are thinking they are big enough not to be eaten by a fish or a seagull. They do not have little red heads anymore, and they are soon to catch up to the same size of the parents. Almost definitely sure they will make it to adulthood.

Posted: 7 Nov 2008, by makkie