The snake-bitten meerkat's miraculous recovery | Planet Earth Live - BBC 

For years afterwards as the meerkats sat round the fire, the youngsters would beg old Uncle Ernesto to tell the tale of the snake bite.

I cannot believe these guys took the time to name every single one of those meerkats. 😂😂

This actually had me in tears, I'm so proud of Ernesto, what a champ

*Camera man filming a camera man while getting filmed*

I could never be a wildlife photographer because you're not supposed to interfere with the "natural course of things". It'd either drive me crazy or I'd break that rule every day.

Poor Ernesto

Shout out to ernesto for sleeping off that venom, I do the same with Hennessy. 2 days and I'll be alright

I thought meerkats just ate bugs. Damn lion king did me dirty.

Amazing, Ernesto really walked through the valley of the shadow of death for two days and lived.

Animals killing each other is normal in nature but seeing him how he was suffering becoming so weak was just to much for me.

He’s like the meerkat version of Leonardo decaprio in the revenant

I'll never forget when Flower got bit & died. None of us watching Meerkat Manor were prepared for that. I cried.

*How Ernesto uncomfortably slept off cobra venom for two days*

Whenever I feel less motivated & down I always come to this video for inspiration ... The sheer amount of pain Ernesto Meerkat goes through just to survive ... Simply incredible ❤️❤️❤️

This is one of the most wholesome videos on RU-vid. The camera man being overwhelmed after seeing Tio Ernesto reunite with the pack is priceless.

I love how the cameraman was so happy that SnakeMeerkat came back

"The group is vigilant for intruders!" 4:05 Massive intruder right next to you!

Ernesto was henceforth known as scar, venom slayer

I'm from Africa and grew up with meerkat all my life. They are such beautiful creatures.

Miraculous recovery? Two days later and Ernesto's still looking like he can't see shit.

He looks like an ernesto

Poor Ernesto. He sure looks like shit. Glad he bounced back...

I couldn't do this job all I would want to do is save him 😭

Ernesto you're a superhero. Thanks to to the work of this cameraman and who narrated the story of theese wonderful animals. A little tear fall for Ernesto.....

These meerkats are cute and poor Ernesto.. he's too cute to suffer that venom

How can a Meerkat survive enough venom to kill ten people?!?

Merecats: hey brah, you sure you ok Ernesto: ffggh gghhh huh uthh ugyh 😂😂😂😂

This BBC series was exceptional viewing. So immersing the way you are drawn into their special Colony and taken along on their adventures..... Highly recommend looking into the original series if you missed this Gem!

The amount of good karma Ernesto had done in his past life must have been tremendous.

Plot Twist: It was another Meercat that looked a lot like Ernesto.

This is proof that Hispanic meerkats are more resistant to Cobra venom.

My heart goes for him/her, What a brave creatures.!!💚

Never fails to amaze me how tough and resilient animals can be. Especially the little ones.❤️❤️❤️❤️

Are we all just sitting here pretending Richard Hammond isn’t narrating....is it so obvious that no one is pointing it out?

such a beautiful story!!! I had tears in my eyes! My favorite little animals!! So glad I live in Africa and can see these little Meerkats!!

Ernesto is teaching us humans that even though we have suffered and faced many consequences like disease or depression or anything we should never give up and there is still hope for us to live

this clip literally made me cry.

Holy dear. I couldn't.. I just COULDN'T watch this without dropping a tear. I never reacted like that while watching films eading books, which make other people flood everything around them with tears. Who can keep own tears inside, watching how a little meerkat was dying slowly feeling total agony? Of course the ending - is such a relief. I'm so happy! So happy he is alive! Long live Ernesto!

My heart aches for this little guy watching this.

The spirit is larger than the challenge. Much respect for Ernesto.

sadly Ernesto was last seen February 2013 after he disappeared with his bro Big Pimpin :'( RIP

Forget Keeping up w the Kardashians, I rather watch Keeping up with Ernesto!

Camera guy: okay I'm about to save this animal but not on video Next day Miracle recovery

Imagine being a foot tall in that place. With literal monsters out there who can swoop down and take you away. Or surprise you and viciously bite and try to kill you. And oh yeah, take care of those kids too right? Deep respect for the meerkats. Amazing animals.

I remember flower the meerkat lol

Human: Watch out for that Cobra, they’re deadly! Meerkat: Hold my lizard!!!

I once saw an hour long documentary about meerkats, I 1st thought it was this one, but it seems a different one. It illustrated a meerkat clan which lived near an other meerkat clan, that wanted to take over their habitat. There was some back and forth between them, can't remember exactly if they lost their home to them, but they had to move and started a long journey to a different place. And right at that time, one member got bitten just like here (can't remember his name, I call him Brave 😎), and was struggling really hard and about to die. The other clan members could not wait on him due to the timeframe they had to get to a safe and appropriate place, so they had to move on without him. They were migrating for several days and found a place. In the meanwhile poor Brave was very weak and couldn't walk anymore, so he lay down and waited for his destiny 😢. It past about a week and the clan already got used to their new home and were doing the ordinary activities, which a typical meerkat family does, searching for food, eating their most loved menu like scorpions, the younger members were playing, others were keeping guard etc. One day the guardsman among the clan was standing in the typical meerkat stance 😄 and noticed something heading towards their territory. He immediately began to make some noises of concern and with every meter the danger came closer, he was increasing his warning sounds. At a certain distance he recognized, that it was another meerkat, so his alarming sounds went off like crazy, since it was recently, that they had to battle for their home! The whole clan was alarmed and they all were ready to fight again. Then when the stranger meerkat got closer and closer, at some 20 meters or so, they felt something was strange, it didn't make sense and they still were nervous. When the other meerkat then came close about some 10 meters, they couldn't believe their eyes, BRAVE has fully recovered and was even able to track and find his beloved clan, all by himself, except by the mercy of God! The meerkat clan was so happy, excited and flattering, and the whole family embraced Brave again into their clan 😭😄 As long as my memory serves me right, I won't forget that, that was so amazing to see, it was heartbreaking and gratifying at the same time 😊

They make me laugh when they stand up like "who want it" "anyone can get these hands"

Poor, sweet little creature, suffering so. I hope he got well again and that he didn't suffer permanent eye damage. If I was the photographer I couldn't just film him without doing anything for him. He desperately needed help, if just some food and water, but most of all veterinary care if at all possible.

@1:53 my family went camping by a river when I was younger and my dog Sport, a little rat terrier, loved to stick his head under the water and try to catch minnows. He ended up with an ear infection (which didn't stop him dunking his head, we had to) that made his cheeks and entire face swell up drastically. He look as adorable as he could ever be at his own expense.

ERNESTO IS THE DEFINITION OF A WARRIOR !

Only after rewatching this for the second time I realized that this was narrated by Richard Hammond.

bravo ernesto

Man I can never just stand there watching an animal slowly grow weak, suffering until the last breath. It would tear me up. Watching these documentaries is already difficult enough.

God, I am sooo happy for Ernesto!!! well done, little guy, well done.

I hope the cute little meerkat makes it a lot longer. I was amazed on how close they let you get to them. Awesome video!

Ernesto life matters

Brooooooooo. I remember my mom bought me a cd of meerkat manor!!!! I must’ve been like 8 when I would watch this. I’d play this every single day

I love how the camera man is excited hes home. He's nearly a part of the family himself . respect to the camera man

Big Ernesto is a universal soldier! Savage! 😂❤

Clearly, I’m not even as tough as a meerkat.

Bro we gotta find that damm cobra and teach him a lesson 😡😤

I like how the meerkats are vigilante without noticing the camera man 2 feet away

Man, the meerkats don’t care about that photographer at 00:24. Such icons.

3:58 “the group are vigilant for intruders” *doesn’t* *notice* *camera* *man* *behind* *him*

Thanks to the crew for their hardwork❤️

I remember when courageous little Shakespeare got bitten by a snake and also survived. Poor guy was never the same, naturally, but he lived.

One of the best endings ever. Thanks for this video. It made someone's day much brighter!!!!

it's not just a meerkat, it's Ernesto

Please bring me Ernesto!! Rough neighborhood I know. Bless his awesome little heart. He looked so damn miserable. 💔 I’d treat him like the king he is. ❤️

I love their humming or their whispering language I feel their crunchy sound seems like an adorable laughs !! I wish if I'm able to adopt or embrace a one for myself .. these animals are scarce and rare to be triggered at my home .. nothing in adjacent or similar path to their cuteness

I love the way they are always standing and watching for any troubles to come

I always envision this when a wild boar suddenly arrives and they start singing!! #HakunaMatata

Animals killing eachother is natural, it's what they do. Counter-argument; Humans saving wounded animals is natural, it's what we do.

Cameraman, your compassion touched me deeply.

Timon has truly a warrior spirit

*_HAMMOND!!!!! WHAT ARE YOU DOING ON A NATURE DOCUMENTARY?_*

Aww poor little guy 😭

I’ll always love these little guys, especially Flower and Zaphod 💞

These men no work for Oscars... Thier Life Itself Is An Award... Hats Off For Your Passion

Flower also got bitten by a snake but sadly she did not recover. She was an amazing leader 💜

The beauty of the wild!

so small such power in him! inspiration,idol for the rest of my life!! thanks Ernesto

That uncle that’s always meditating

Meerkats are awesome!

So you gave him a name without asking his permission? This is unforgivable.

Thank you BBC for all the amazing videos.

He's an OG now.. and because of injuries he speaks like a God father

Rest and vitamin d helped Ernesto bounce back

I feel like everyone in this comments section is missing the point of these shows - OBSERVATION. That means watching how these animals survive without interfering. Animals live and die for a reason. If too many members of one species survives, the habitat becomes overcrowded. It's easy to say, "Aw, why didn't they try heal him?", but imagine if they did that for every meerkat. Soon, meerkats would be outnumbering all the other animals, and this would wreak havoc on the ecosystem. They'd eat all the insects, which would affect the plants, which would affect grazing animals. Death happens for a reason - it's all part of the balance of nature. The scientists studying these animals know that, which is why they don't interfere. However heartbreaking it is to watch one meerkat die, deaths are essential to the continuation of the species. It also helps eliminate weaker members from the gene pool, strengthening the group.

meercat body adaption and powwerful immunization against venom is really incredible!!

*What a wonderful phrase*

Anyone else remember Flower??? I forgot all about that show until I saw this video

Yes, they most likely could have, they just chose not to. There are actually many documentaries that show how people intervene in cases of emergency and show compassion. It could be a deer stuck somewhere, elephant babies dying from dehydration because they lost their mothers, and so on. There is no rule of law saying we cannot help someone who needs it - whether it be our species or another.

I love when that cameraman smiled..

Ernesto lived to tell a wonderful story of his survival 😊

Ernesto looking like he drank a whole bottle of patron and still recovering a week later

My sons name is Ernesto 😓 made this harder to watch 😭

Cameraman : That's astonishing. Ernesto : I can do this all day.

Camera man filming a camera man, filming, is like watching The Human Camerapede.