2008 geht - 2009 kommt....

Der Aussenposten wünscht allen einen Guten Rutsch.... -
The outpost wishes everybody a good start...
...freudige und glückliche Momente... - cheerful and happy moments...Aber auch Klarheit, Tiefe und Ruhe um die richtigen Entscheidungen zu treffen...-
But also clear sight, depth and inner peace to take the right decisions... ...und das geeignete Handwerkszeug um das Neue Jahr erfolgreich anzugehen! -
...and the appropriate tools to tackle the New Year successfully!

Ich möchte allen Menschen und Tieren danken, die dieses Jahr zu einem besonderen Jahr gemacht haben, für alle Zuneigung und Zuwendung, die uns entgegengebracht wurde, gerade auch in schweren Momenten. Meine Gedanken sind bei all denen, die dieses Jahr jemanden verloren haben oder auch Verlust auf einer anderen Ebene erleben mussten.
Abschiednehmen ist auch immer der Anfang von etwas Neuem, es sind die Erinnerungen, die wir mitnehmen. Auch die Erinnerungen an Momente, mit denen ein kleiner großer Eisbär in Bärlin Leichtigkeit, Freude und Farbe in unser Leben gebracht hat als wir Menschen dachten, der Himmel wird nicht mehr blau. Lernen von dem Bären...

I would like to thank everybody, humans and animals, who have contributed to make this year 2008 a special year.Thank you for all the friendship and comfort shared with us, also in moments of grief. My thoughts today are with those who had to cope with a loss of someone precious or who had been suffering from loss of a different kind. To bid farewell is always also the start of a new beginning, the memories we'll take with us. Not to forget the memories of moments when a little big bear brought joy, easyness and colour into our lives, especially when we thought our hearts would shut out the light forever. Learning from the bear....Allen ein gesundes und gutes Neues Jahr -
To all a happy and healthy New Year

wünschen in Freundschaft und Dankbarkeit -
In friendship and gratefulness

Dirk & Birgit
(die Dame vonne Insel, die immer ein Stückchen auch Mami Simba bleiben wird)

Photo & montage credits: unknown source (1,3), Th.Mangelsen (2), Bauz (4,5)

Rückblicke...Retrospects 2008

Ein etwas anderer Rückblick...A different kind of retro...
2008 - Und neues Leben beginnt... When new life starts...2008 - Kneipenrauchverbote und die Folgen - Smoking ban in pubs and the consequences...2008 - Im August nach folgender Meldung... -
After a disturbing message in August involving special chocolate eggs 2008 - Folgen der Ölpreispolitik... - Consequences of the petrol price politics...And last but not least - Ein berühmter Schuhwurf... - A shoe throw of fame......war ganz sicher ein historisches Highlight im Jahr 2008, wenn nicht sogar DAS historische Highlight. Nun im Aussenposten endlich das erste Exklusivfoto aus dem Trainingslager... -
...was certainly a historical highlight, if not THE historical highlight. Now exclusively here in the outpost the first photo right from the trainings camp...

Für alle, die sich einen gekonnten Schuhwurf (noch) nicht zutrauen, dem sei hiermit das Trainingsprogramm Lernstufe 1 empfohlen... Schuhbestellungen werden selbstverständlich im Aussenposten gerne entgegengenommen, Schlangestehen auf eigenes Risiko! -For all those who want to become skilfull shoe throwers too but might still need some basic work out first, we recommend the special trainings program level 1... It goes without saying that the outpost will be pleased to take your shoe orders, queuing on your own risk!

Photo credits: unknown sources (1,2,4,5 ,7), L'Express (3)
Photo montage : Knut - original photo ChristinaM, montage Bauz - lot's of thanks for it, and also for the game link...!

Eine Torte für SimoneF....A cake for SimoneF...

Das ist ein Foto von Simone. Schön, nicht wahr. Sie macht auch immer so schöne Fotos von mir, und Videos auch. Sie kommt oft mit ihrer Mama Gudrun und besucht mich. Manchmal bringt sie auch ihren Peter mit. Coole Familie. Aber das Beste, sie bringen mir ganz oft was zu fressen mit, die Eisbombe nach meinem Geburtstag z.B., mann, war die lecker...This is a photo of Simone. Nice, isn't it? She tales always nice photos of me too, and videos. Often she comes with her mom Gudrun to visit me. Sometimes she brings her Peter too. Cool family. But the best, they very often bring me food, like the ice bomb after my second birthday. Yummie, that was something, so goood...Heute hat Simone Geburtstag und ich gestehe, den ersten Kuchen habe ich leider selbst gegessen... -
Today it's Simone's birthday, I have to admit, the first cake landed iin my stomach...Aber keine Sorge, ich habe noch eine andere Torte bei Betsy in Oregon bestellt... -
But don't you worry, I have already ordered another one from Betsy in Oregon...Und diesmal gibt es Eis auch für Simone.... -
And this time there will even be some ice cream for Simone...... hab ich alles arrangiert! -
...it's all arranged!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, FRÜHLINGSSTERN!

Photo credits: SimoneF (1), Mervi (2), Betsy (3), Hartmuth (4), AP (5)

Nach der Möhre, ein Dessert! - And after the carrot a special treat....

Diese verdammte Möhre....!!! - This damn' carrot...















Sie haben keine Ahnung, wie hart so eine Möhre eigentlich sein kann, außerdem, warum eigentlich kein Fisch, keine Torten, kein Fleisch...Das ist doch nicht fair, andere essen immer noch ihre Weihnachtssüßigkeiten... -

You have no idea, how hard and resistant such a carrot can be...By the way, it's not fair at all, everybody else is still enjoying the nice Christmas sweets, and for me not even a fish, a cake or some meet . No, it's not fair!!!

Doch dann wurde mein Flehen erhört...But then it seems, my prayers were heard...Sehen Sie... - See yourself...!
Ja, er ist es, mein Freund in Hawaii... - Yes, it's him. My friend in Hawaii.........will wissen, wie groß es sein soll... -
...wants to know how big it should be... Also, ganz klar, natürlich so groß, bitte! -
No big deal, just this size that, please! Ja, klar warte ich...aber beeil dich! -
Yeah, sure, I'll be waiting...but please hurry...!Und nicht vergessen, es ist meins...! - And don't forget, it's mine...!

Photo credits: SylviaMicky (1), Jessie (2,3,4,6,7), AP (4,8)

Hingebungsvoll...Truely beautiful...

What a beautiful, beautiful Christmas card Dumba got from Wendy...to both Thank You for sharing....

Tsunami 26.12.2004 - Eine ganz andere Weihnachtsgeschichte....A very different Christmas story....

MEET OWEN AND MZEEJuly 17, 2005 · It sounds like a fable or a fairy tale. The main characters are an orphaned baby hippopotamus and a 130-year-old giant tortoise. The hippo was rescued from a natural disaster of biblical proportions, and the tortoise was meant to be dinner a century ago. But the story of Owen the hippo and Mzee the tortoise is absolutely true.

The animals are both the wards of Dr. Paula Kahumbu, general manager of Lafarge Ecosystems, which runs a sanctuary in Mombasa, Kenya. She tells Jennifer Ludden the story of a highly unlikely friendship and the children's book she helped write to tell the tale.

Foreword from 'Owen And Mzee'

December 26th, 2004 started off as a normal, quiet day. My son Joshua and I were out for a morning walk along the beach in front of my home when suddenly the sea began to race in. Within minutes the ocean became threatening. The tide had risen well beyond the high water mark. At that instant it became apparent the Tsunami that had started nearly 4,000 miles away far across the Indian Ocean would impact us as well. In less than 12 hours the Tsunami had finally reached the coast of Africa from its point of origin in Banda Aceh.

We ran from the beach back to my house where my sister and her children were waiting for us. They were all crying having just seen on television the haunting images of the devastating Indian Ocean Tsunami. Although we escaped the waves, a one year old hippopotamus 80 kilometers away was not as lucky.

Just before Christmas the unseasonably heavy rains near Malindi town washed a family of hippopotamuses down the Sabaki River and out to sea. The residents of the town tried in vain to urge the family back up the estuary. When the Tsunami hit Malindi, the sea turned angry, the sky clouded over and for a moment the hippos disappeared and were forgotten as all efforts went to rescuing the stranded fishermen.

The next day only one hippo could be seen. It was the baby and he was stranded on the reef. Hundreds of people came to watch the efforts to rescue the hippo. It took ropes, boats, nets and cars --though the hippo was tired he was still fast and slippery. It took a brave rugby tackle to finally capture him, and the cheering of the crowd could be heard over a kilometer away.

Lafarge Eco Systems agreed to provide a home for the baby hippo and I rushed to Malindi to collect him. Tangled in fishing ropes, angry and tired, the hippo did not seem to appreciate our rescue at all. As we left for Mombasa, the crowd unanimously agreed to name him 'Owen' in honor of the volunteer who tackled him to the ground.

Exhausted, confused and extremely frightened, Owen immediately ran to the safety of a giant tortoise when we released him in Haller Park. Mzee, our 130 year old tortoise, just happened to be nearby and he was very surprised by Owen's odd behavior cowering behind him as a baby hippo does to its mother. Mzee quickly came to terms with his new friend and even returned signs of affection. The unusual relationship between this baby hippo and the ancient tortoise amazed people the world over and has featured in most countries on television and in news papers.

Owen and Mzee continue to spend their days together in the pond, feeding and patrolling. Owen nudges Mzee to come for walks, and Mzee sometimes even follows Owen. Hundreds of people have witnessed this incredible spectacle first hand at Haller Park which is open every day to the public. Owen will eventually be moved to a bigger pond in Haller Park were he can socialize with other hippos.

Dr. Paula Kahumbu/Chief Environmentalist, Haller Park/Mombasa, Kenya

Download the whole story (pdf) with lot's of photos here - it is a wonderful document and one of the most beautiful stories I have come across...

And here you will find the latest news on Owen and Mzee...

And here the 2 books of Craig Hatkoff who has also written a book about Knut...
I will try to find German links which I will post then here later , so for the time being only English...

Photo credits : Peter Greste

Oh,oh,oh...(instead of Ho,ho,ho....)

Found on the net...source...unknown...

Frohe Weihnachten ....

Feliz Navidad - Frohe Weihnachten - Merry Christmas -
Joyeux Noel - Hyvaa joulua- God Jul - Glædelig Jul -
Vrolijk Kerstfeest - Buone Feste Natalizie - Feliz Natal -
圣诞快乐 - メリークリスマス

We apologize for being late...

It took us a bit longer, as it was lots of fun on the merry-go-ground...but now it's done, nearly arrived...

To everyone the best wishes for the coming Christmas days from the outpost -

Mit leichter Verspätung, weil es auf dem Kettenkarussell so viel Spaß gemacht hat, nun auch an alle die allerbesten Weihnachtswünsche vom Aussenposten...

Pic found on the net...

Warten auf's Christkind...

Manche warten stoisch schon seit Monaten...-

Some have already been waitings stoically for months and months...

Manche vertreiben sich die Wartezeit mit einem kleinen Pfeifchen...-

Some try to get through the waiting by a relaxing pipe...Einige prüfen mal schnell, ob das Christkind nicht doch schon heimlich vorher was versteckt hat...-
Some are checking quickly, if Santa Claus might have left already something secretly in advance...
Einige sind vom Warten so müde, dass sie es vermutlich komplett verpassen werden...
Some got so tired of waiting for it that they might miss it completely...Manche meinen durch Anfeuern kommt es schneller...-
Some believe in cheerful cheering to speed up the arrival..Manche entscheiden...-
Some decide ...

...die Wartezeit geduldig gemeinsam zu verbringen...-
...to spend the waiting time patiently together....Während für andere Geduld nun wirklich überhaupt keine Option ist...While for others patience isn't really an option at all...

WO BLEIBT ES DENN BLOSS??????-
WHERE THE HECK IS SANTA CLAUS?????

Photo credits: Barbara (1,4), Walruss Sara (found in Dostoys blog), ChristinaM (3), Reuters (5),
Tania Askani (6,7 thanks to Tammy!), Pandas (again thanks to Dostoy)

Weihnachtsgrüße aus Ungarn ...

Weihnachtsgrüße aus aller Welt sind bereits eingetroffen, über diesen habe ich mich besonders gefreut, er kam von Zsuzsa aus dem Nyíregyházi Állatpark in Sosto/Ungarn.

Hier lebt ja seit März diesen Jahres Jorek-der-früher-Cuker-war und Zsuzsa hält mich dann und wann auf dem Laufenden, diesmal kam aber nur die Weihnachtskarte. -

Christmas greetings from all around the world are coming in, this one came from Zsuzsa of the Nyíregyházi Állatpark in Sosto/Hungary. That is where Jorek-who-was-Cuker-before has been living now since March of this year. From time to time Zsuzsa sends me some news or photos of him which I appreciate very much. This time there was just the card, no news.

Und er? Wer ist dieser Herr hier? Etwa Jorek-Cuker???-
And he? What about this gentleman? Is that Jorek-Cuker???

Nein, das hier ist Bjoern Heinrich, der Vater ..., in Palic Bo genannt.- No, it's his dad, Bjoern Heinrich...

Date: Wed, 25 Jun 2008 10:09:45 +0200

Subject: Emailing: dsc_0287, beli medved

Dear Birgit,

Please find in the attachment some of Bo's pictures. Also, you can find some on our web-site.

Bo is a very peaceful bear, not afraid or intimidated by people. His keeper can even pet him, which is not the case with the female. He also likes to swim very much!

Cuker hasn't been separated too early from his mother. We always separate bear offspring after more than a year since the new mating season aproaches and the female and the male need to be together to mate.

Yes, mother did show certain amount of grief after separation and while she could hear him but few days later everything went back to normal and the parents were joined once again.

They will stay together until female goes into labour in her cave.

I hope I have helped a bit.

Warm regards from Palic!

Mirjana Alapovic

Berliner Eisbär Björn Heinrich dreifacher Vater

Berlin (dpa/bb) - Im Zoologischen Garten Berlin ist die Hoffnung gestiegen, dass der von Hand aufgezogene Eisbär Knut selbst Vater werden kann. Der weltberühmte Nachwuchs wäre überraschend nicht der erste Berliner Eisbär, der das zoologische Wunder schaffen würde. Der Sender RBB dokumentierte am Freitagabend in der Reportage «Knut, Flocke & Co. - Eisbären als Flaschenkinder», wie bereits 1986 die Tierpflegerin Veronika Buchholz im Tierpark Berlin-Friedrichsfelde das Eisbärbaby Björn Heinrich großzog. Heute lebt er im Zoo des serbischen Palic und ist dreifacher Vater. Dies ist weltweit eine große Ausnahme.

© Die Welt

erschienen am 04.10.2008 um 11:15 Uhr

All Infos I have about Jorek and Bjoern Heinrich you will find in German and in English here.

And you will see, we have all missed Jorek's 2nd birthday, so this here was to make up for it and to please a lady who has been waiting for already a long time for the introduction of Bjoern Heinrich. But due to September circumstances, all earlier drafted postings from Simba didn't fit anymore...

22.Dezember - Anton...

...wird 19 heute. Und er befragt den Mond...-
...turns 19 today. And he questions the moon...
...ob er diesmal vielleicht Post bekommt. Ein Paket z.B. mit vielen schönen, bunten Sachen drin. Alles extra für ihn. Mit viel Liebe ausgesucht.Vielleicht auch ein paar Pralinen oder etwas zum Anschauen...Postkarten mit Tieren würde er auch sehr schön finden, sogar Wölfe... -
...if this time he will get some mail. A parcel for example, with lots of nice, colourful things inside. All for him alone. All choosen with love.Maybe even some pralinés or something to look at... Postcards of animals would do fine, even with wolves on it...Ohhh, wie würde er dann tanzen und in die Luft sprin-gen...! -

Ohhh, how he would be dancing then and jumping high up into the sky...!

Er wäre der glücklichste Bär unter dem Himmelszelt, und er würde all die alten Lieder singen von den Blättern des Herbstes und den Küssen im Winter in heißen Sommernächten...-
He would be the most happiest bear under the sky, singing all the old songs of autumn leaves and winter kisses in hot summer nights...

Photo credits: Uli W - Karikaturen: Lena Frey & Nikov
This posting is dedicated to a very special person!!! And so sorry Anton, it's me who got the parcel!