Donnerstag, 31. Dezember 2009

Knut & Gianna..."As far as....

....Eskimos kisses!"

Das ist eine der Bildunterschriften von Frau Liesels Fotos von Knut und Gianna am letzten Tag des Jahres...Eisbärenwetter, ein guter Tag, zwei tolle Bären, ein besonderer Moment und ein treffender und wunderschöner Satz, genau richtig um das Jahr 2009 zu beenden...-

"As far as Eskimos kisses" -Knut & Gianna during the last day of the year. Who would have thought this going to happen one year ago? Does it need more to say good-bye to 2009? So let's look what 2010 will bring....to Knut....to the bears ....and to all of you...

Thank you everybody - without you Knut's Outpost wouldn't exist...

GOOD BYE 2009....

Photo credits: Frau Schnatterliese...more beautiful photos of Miss Funny and Mr.Nice Guy here...Don't miss this one!

Dienstag, 29. Dezember 2009

Eine 36 jährige Schneeflocke und ein runder Frühlingssterngeburtstag....

"Mich hat UlliJ entdeckt, ich bin Snezinska aus Kaliningrad und laut Europäischem Zuchtbuch bin ich am 17.November 1973 geboren, es sieht so aus, als ob ich im Moment die älteste eisbärige Europäerin bin...-

Hi, I am a discovery of Ulli J, my name is Snezinska and I'm from Kaliningrad. Due to the European Studbook I was born on 17 November 1973 which makes me probably the oldest polar beary European..."
"Snezinska ist russisch und heißt Schneeflocke. Und ob Sie es glauben oder nicht, aber das macht mich nur 4 Jahre jünger als ein ganz besonderer Frühlingsstern...Als wahrscheinlich älteste eisbärige Europäerin hat man ja eine gewisse Verantwortung und verfolgt Geburtstagsnachrichten...-

Snezinska is Russian and means Snowflake. Believe it or not, but at 36 I am only 4 years younger than a very special spring star (transl.Frühlingsstern)...As potential record holder age obliges, the following of birthday news has become a must... " "Hast du gehört, selbst in Russland kennt man unsere Simone Frühlingsstern...Herrjeh, was schenken wir ihr denn bloß??? Ich sag's gleich, Eisbombe und Kuchen gehen dieses Jahr nicht...Das wäre einfach einfallslos...Dieses Jahr muss es was ganz Besonderes sein....!"-

"Did you hear that? Even in Russia our Simone Frühlingsstern is known...Jeez, any idea what we can give her as birthday gift...? This year ice and cake is out of the question, it simply has to be something special, something with sense of taste and imagination..." "Du könntest ihr was zaubern, Knut!"-
"So what about some magic, Knut?" "Schatz, meinst du wirklich?"-
"You are serious, Sweetheart?"
"Hm, ich kann es ja mal probieren...." Ein kleiner Zauberspruch genügt...-
"Why not"I can at least give it a try.." A little magic spell .......und schon steht Gianna mit einem Blumenstrauß für Simone bereit...-
...and the birthday bouquet is ready for Simone... Schnell noch ein paar Kugeln anhängen....-
Sure, not without some decoration.......denn steht sie nicht manchmal irgendwie auf dekoriert?"
...as we all know, she sometimes likes things decorated, doesn't she?"

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, FRÜHLINGSSTERN...
May all your wishes come true.And thank you for all the hours you have spent in the zoo, sharing so many precious moments in Knut's life...


Related posting: Eine Torte für Simone-A cake for Simone-29.12.2008

Photo credits: Zoo Kaliningrad (1), cliff_dive on flickr (2), ChristinaM (8), Simone Frühlingsstern (3,4,5,6,7,9)

Sonntag, 27. Dezember 2009

Gianna & Knut - Water, Fun and Holiday on Ice...

Don't miss the new video of ChristinaM featuring Gianna & Knut , I just heard that the ex world champions themselves at ice dancing, the siblings Isabelle and Paul Duchesnay, have expressed their interest to take them under immediate contract for the current season...



Video credits: ChristinaM

Freitag, 25. Dezember 2009

Seasonal Greetings ....a small selection....

Yesterday...from cartoonist David M.Booth of Cabin Fever....The polar wolf is on this year's December calendar of WWF which I got from Dostoy, he sent another wolf for Christmas (already by end of October!) but this picture is a bit bigger, check out Dostoy's blog here
Caren was the first one of the Knut community who sent beary Christmas greetings ...More beary stuff from her here ...
Greetings of Viktor...More Knut and Gianna photos you can find of him here...Christmas Greetings from our Canadian friend Diane Brown and her polar bear friends in Churchill/Manitoba...Discover more photos of her here

It is always amazing what David C.Schultz finds by exploring wild life , more wild life you will find of him hereKnut seen by UlliJ, discover Ulli's amazing photostream showing more polar bears in Europe as you ever might have thought to exist...

Thank you so much - Knut's outpost wants to wish Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to all of you too! And thank you for working effortless for the cause of the polar bears, wolves and other animals.... and for sharing with us!

Weihnachtsmann wieder am Nordpol!!!! - Santa arrived in the Arctic...


Ich kann es nicht lassen, immer wieder verfolge ich Santas Reise, dieser arme Mann hat ja wirklich schrecklich viel zu tun gehabt, aber dies wird bald ein Ende haben, denn nach Hawaii ist seine nächste Station der Nordpol... -

I can't get away from Santa's itinerary, and you won't believe it , I think Santa is nearly done, in about 9 minutes he will arrive at the North Pole ...15pm - Rodrigues time...He did it!!!!

AND HE DID A GREAT JOB, DIDN'T HE??? THANK YOU SO MUCH AND SEE YOU NEXT YEAR...

Source: NORAD Santa Tracker

Schneebären und verwirrende Nachrichten aus Russland - Snowbears and confusing news from Russia...


These are enchanting photos from Zoo Moscow found within an article of 22 December. Not only UlliJ thinks that the article reads as if at Moscow Zoo, two females have recently given birth to 3 cubs...It is also about the low temperatures this winter in November which kept the female bears longer than usual "wakeful" which means not prepared to give birth soon if I deduce hopefully correctly...A Russian interpretor would be nice to have at hands now...

Source: Life/russ.
Please check the English google translation here (very bad but would you deduce from it differently?)

Donnerstag, 24. Dezember 2009

Von aufgetauten Weihnachtsgänsen und Hundebescherungen...

Vom Eisbär zur "aufgetauten Weihnachtsgans ..." - Knut beweist hier einmal mehr seine schauspielerischen Fähigkeiten...Mit welcher Rolle überrascht er uns als Nächstes?

From polar bear to defrosted Christmas goose, with Knut the actor we are always in for a surprise, what might come next???

Auch hier im Video geht es um Überraschungen, diesmal sind Hunde aus Ungarn die Akteure...-
Surprises is also the topic of this video...this time featured by a group of very talented dogs from Hungary...


Allen Bären und Hunden ebenfalls ein schönes Fest ...

Video
Source: YouTube
Photo credits: ChristinaM , die treffende Bildbeschreibung stammt von petraw und ist preisverdächtig!!

Midnight news: Santa Claus in Port Louis !!!

Santa Claus made it exactly at 11:59 pm to Port Louis...At the moment I can't yet confirm if his stop of nearly 5 minutes allowed him to come to Rodrigues Island too. It was his last stop on his way to Antarctica, we are trying to find out more....You want to know if he is on the way to you or if he made it already while you were sleeping, click here and find out...

Source: Official NORAD Santa Tracker

Please note: posting time was shortly after midnight here, but blogger shows the 3 hours difference (German time)

HO,Ho,Ho....Christmas again....

Remember this letter box...??? After I learned about it, I promised myself that I would write Father Christmas this year, yeah, I did it...together with some Rodriguan kids...I doubt, it will arrive at time, as usual, we have been late...but we wanted to wish Father Christmas too a very happy...

MERRY CHRISTMAS...

So, we hope you are all done with your Christmas preparations, (the outpost has still to bake cookies, to clean the house, to iron, to do some shopping, to write to all friends and family... and to upload the drawings of the kids...so link comes later)


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

And as to the bears, this year please hands off...., let Father Christmas do what he has to do...!

Dienstag, 22. Dezember 2009

Aisaqvaq and her little cubs are doing well....- No cubs for Victoria and Lloyd in Bremerhaven...

Alles klar bei Aisaqvaq und ihren Kleinen in St.Félicien !!! Sie wachsen und gedeihen, die kleinen Köpfchen und Pfoten sind größer geworden, auch das Fell beginnt zu wachsen. Aisaqvaq kümmert sich nach wie vor in vorbildlicher Weise um sie, da es sehr kalt ist, hält sie sie die meiste Zeit nah an sich. Die Mutter-Kind-'Höhle' wird zusätzlich beheizt.

Es gibt ein wunderbares Video, dank Rudi's Hilfe habe ich es nun gefunden, man muss auf der Zooseite rechts außen auf einen orangenen Video-Icon clicken..., es lohnt sich!!!
The little cubs of Aisaqvaq are doing fine, you can see how the little heads and and paws have become bigger unil now, the fur has started to grow. Aisaqvaq is very protective and keeps her offspring as warm as possible...On the zoo site you have to check the right side of your screen, you will find a video icon which is worthwhile to click on...Just lovely!!!

Source: Zoo Sauvage St.Félicien/frc.!

Lloyd und Victoria/Photo: Barbara

"Auch 2009 freute sich der Zoo am Meer wieder über zahlreiche Jungtiere: Nachzuchten gab es bei den seltenen Humboldt-Pinguinen, den Asiatischen Zwergottern, den Weißgesichtseidenaffen, den Basstölpeln, den Dampfschiffenten und und und ... nur leider noch immer nicht bei den Eisbären.

Die Zeit des Wartens war sehr spannend für uns alle. Im April wich Lloyd unserer Victoria eine ganze Woche lang nicht von der Seite und es wurden während dieser „Brunst" auch einige Deckakte beobachtet. Wir erhofften uns daher im Spätherbst oder zu Beginn des Winters charakteristische Verhaltensänderungen bei der Bärin, wie zum Beispiel bewusster Rückzug in die Wurfhöhle, Änderung der Nahrungsaufnahme, Nestbauverhalten, etc., die sich jedoch nicht deutlich einstellten. Auch die in einer modernen Zootierhaltung notwendige Infrarotkamera wurde installiert, damit das Tier in den Stallungen hinter den Kulissen rund um die Uhr beobachtet werden konnte.

Begleitend dazu wurden in regelmäßigen Abständen Kotproben der Bärin gesammelt, um darin enthaltene Hormone des Sexualzyklus zu messen. Einen ausgereiften „Schwangerschaftstest" für Bären gibt es jedoch noch immer nicht. Wir erhofften uns auf diese Weise gewisse Tendenzen zu erkennen. Seit geraumer Zeit befinden sich die Anfangs viel versprechenden hohen Werte wieder auf niedrigem Niveau, ohne dass es zu einer Geburt kam. Das deutet darauf hin, dass der mütterliche Organismus die befruchteten Eizellen wohl resorbiert hat.

Fruchtresorptionen sind zwar sehr schade, aber im Säugetierreich (inkl. Mensch) und gerade bei Raubtieren während der ersten Trächtigkeit nichts Ungewöhnliches. Häufig muss sich das empfindliche Fortpflanzungssystem im mütterlichen Körper im ersten Durchgang erst so richtig „zurecht ruckeln", damit es in den darauf folgenden Jahren physiologisch gut und unkompliziert zum Erfolg kommen kann.

Daher sind wir guter Dinge und freuen uns auf nächstes Jahr: Neues (Liebes-)Spiel, neues Glück!"

Source: Zoo am Meer in Bremerhaven

Montag, 21. Dezember 2009

Und vor Weihnachten schnell noch zum Zahnarzt....Sure you need a rootcanal treatment before x-mas...?

Wer sich fragt, was denn hier vor sich geht..., das ist Glacier, 14 Jahre alt, aus dem Point Defiance Zoo in Tacoma bei einer erneuten Wurzelkanalbehandlung. Erst letztes Jahr hatte er schon mal eine...Glacier stammt übrigens auch aus Churchill, im Alter von knapp einem Jahr kam er mit seinem Bruder Blizzard 1996 in den Point Defiance Zoo, nachdem sie verwaist aufgefunden wurden.


Here's how to give a polar bear a root canal
Point Defiance zoo: After you get him to the dentist, it might remind you of yours
KRIS SHERMAN

The patient needs a root canal.

He weighs 950 pounds, stands about 9 feet tall and is a top-of-the-food-chain predator.

So, what do you do?

Well, you dart him with a tranquilizer. Get about 10 strong backs to roll him onto a superstrong webbed net and lift him onto a pallet. Bring in a forklift, heft him into a truck and haul him off to the hospital. Forklift him out of the truck, get him onto a heavy duty gurney and call in a human endodontist who thinks it’s fun to look into a polar bear’s massive maw.

Other than that, the root canal performed at Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium on Glacier the polar bear Saturday morning seemed remarkably similar to human dentistry.

There was a noisy, brrrrrrrrring drill. There were those very pointy, razor sharp files dentists use to clean out and enlarge the tooth cavity before they seal it off.

However, there was no expensive crown for Glacier. No nitrous oxide, or laughing gas.

For a root canal on a polar bear, conscious sedation won’t do at all. You need him fully knocked out, completely immobilized.

And he was a bit of a Grumpy Gus about it all to begin with.

“He was pretty angry with me this morning,” zoo veterinarian Dr. Karen Wolf said as he lay placidly on the gurney, his huge pink tongue lolling to one side while endodontist Dr. Edmund Kwan of Tukwila attended to Glacier’s fractured right maxillary canine.

Smart bear, Glacier. He knew what was coming when Wolf showed up with her dart gun.

Though she tries to do the deed quickly “to minimize stress on the animal” Glacier got enough of a look-see to jump up and down on his hind legs, pound his paws into the concrete, shake his head to and fro, saliva flying out of his mouth, and make a chuffing noise.

Once thoroughly sedated and secured in the surgery suite, he looked like a huge polar-style teddy bear – except for the IV line dripping saline and electrolytes into his massive right foreleg from a 3,000 milliliter bag; the endotracheal tube down his throat to help him breathe as anesthetic gas kept him asleep; the ventilator on standby in case it was needed; and the equipment monitoring oxygen saturation, carbon dioxide levels, heart rate and temperature.

At one point, Kwan, working with magnifying loupes over his eyeglasses, pulled a stringy piece of pulp about 3 inches long out of the tooth. He mopped up bleeding with gauze.

Veterinarians Wolf and Dr. Holly Reed, stethoscopes around their necks, kept their trained scientific eyes on their patient. Their tender hands periodically felt his heaving chest, and their expert ears listened to the beating of his great heart.

They were as caring as loving children caressing a beloved pet. But this is serious business. Polar bears are a vulnerable species. Zoos like Point Defiance care for and exhibit them as part of a Species Survival Program designed to preserve their kind and to educate the public about their challenges.

“Once you see a polar bear up close like this, you can’t get it out of your mind,” Wolf said.

The black pads of his feet felt a bit like rough microsuede. His matted fur was coarse on his body, but soft on his ears. His black nose twitched as Kwan worked on his tooth.

It wasn’t Glacier’s first root canal. Kwan, who volunteers his time, did one on the bear in 2008.

Zoo officials don’t know how he fractured his tooth; they recently discovered it during a routine check. Zookeepers use hand signals to get the bears to open their mouths for daily visual inspections, general curator Karen Goodrowe Beck said.

They began the week-and-a-half planning for the root canal shortly after keepers noticed the break, which could have come from anything from wrestling with another bear to chomping down on the beef femurs and knuckles he gets to eat along with a mixture of fish and dog chow, she said.

Getting to the broken tooth quickly can forestall a dangerous infection – and a massive, bear-sized, toothache, she added.

“Dental issues are a common procedure in polar bears, but it’s always a big deal when we immobilize an animal of this magnitude,” Wolf said.

The procedure began around 10 a.m. By 1 p.m., medicated and groggy but up and moving, Glacier was back home with his bear buddies.

And no doubt hoping for fish soup instead of beef bones for dinner.


About Glacier: Together with his brother Blizzard he was rescued as an orphan cub of about 11 months on Sept. 15, 1996, at Churchill, Manitoba, Canada and has lived at Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium ever since.


Source & photo credits:
-The News Tribune Tacoma/20.12.09
-Point Defiance Zoo

Related posting:
Mit Pfeil und Bogen,wenn ein Eisbär eine Wurzelkanalbehandlung braucht, incl.Video

More Snow Bears....

Während sich Mercedes weiterhin im Schnee aalt....-
While Mercedes continues frolicking in the snow.......übrigens mit einem Aal...
Enjoying a special eel treat...
Denken sich Milak in Aalborg....-
Milak in Aalborg ......und Antonia in Gelsenkirchen...-
...and Antonia in Gelsenkirchen are thinking...Hmmm,,,,Was Mercedes im Schnee macht....-
What Mercedes can do in the snow...

...kann ich schon lange!-
...can I do too! "Gut machst du das, Antonia", meinen Corinna ...
"Well done, Antonia!"say Corinna....
...und Antonias Bruder Anton in Stuttgart...-
And Antonia's brother Anton in Stuttgart...Wir mögen zwar keine TV Teams von der BBC bei uns haben ...-
We might not have TV teams here from BBC...
Unsere Besucher sind dafür aber einfach nicht zu toppen...-
But we can even top it....

"Mir ist das egal", sagt sich Vitus, und arbeitet weiter an seinem Adventskranz...-
"TV teams, visitors...? Who cares...?" Vitus from Karlsruhe has more important stuff to do, he has to work on his personal Advent wreath...

Photo credits:
Aaron Sneddon (1,2,10), Sussi Kober (3), Frau Schnatterliese (4,5,6,7), Jens (8,9,11), Pim De Klerk (12)

Donnerstag, 17. Dezember 2009

More Sad News ....Traurige Nachrichten...

Mourning not only in Stuttgart...

Here Corinna from Stuttgart about 2 years ago with lovable little Wilbär...This year Corinna was pregnant again, we still remember her well together with Anton some months ago...And in fact, on 9 December a little female was born but did survive only for 3 days, she had inhaled amniotic fluid and died of a pulmonary oedema.

Hier ein Bild von vor ca. 2 Jahren, Corinna aus der Stuttgarter Wilhelma mit Klein-Wilbär...
Dieses Jahr sollte es erneut Nachwuchs geben, wir erinnern uns an die schmusige Corinna mit Anton...Und am 9.Dezember brachte Corinna auch ein kleines Eisbärmädchen zur Welt. Leider war es nicht lebensfähig, es hatte Fruchtwasser eingeatmet und starb nur 3 Tage später an einem Lungenödem.

Sad news too from Erie Zoo

This is Patches, a 22 year old female who delivered last Monday a little male cub. The little one never took a breath , the reason why is still undetermined.
"The last time a polar bear that survived being born in captivity in the United States was in 2006, according to the Association of Zoos and Aquariums. There are about 100 polar bears in captivity in the United States. Of those, about half are pairs approved by the AZA for breeding."
Patches moved to the Erie Zoo in December 2007 from the Henry Doorly Zoo in Omaha, Neb.
Patches had also given birth to a cub in Omaha, but that cub also did not survive.

Mitchell said zoo staff suspected Patches might be pregnant after she and Norton, the male polar bear, were observed breeding in the spring."

At age 22 both bears are past the peak breeding age for polar bears. Because of that, zoo officials were uncertain as to whether the two would be able to reproduce.
"Although this is a major disappointment, it clearly shows that both bears are still reproductive and gives us hope for next year," Cindy Kreider, the zoo's director, said in a statement.

Zoo officials said Patches appears healthy after the stillborn birth.-

Schlechte Nachrichten ebenfalls aus dem Erie Zoo, die 22 jährige Patches brachte am Montag ein männliches Jungtier zur Welt, das jedoch aus bislang ungeklärten Gründen nicht geatmet hat. Das letzte Mal, das in den USA ein überlebensfähiges Eisbärjunges in einem Zoo geboren wurde, war vor 3 Jahren (Hudson im Brookfield Zoo). Patches geht es soweit gut, der Kindesvater wäre Norton gewesen, ebenfalls mit 22 Jahren ein wenig alt für Nachwuchs. Dennoch hofft der Zoo nun auf die nächste Paarungssaison, hat die diesjährige Schwangerschaft von Patches doch gezeigt, dass die Fähigkeit zur Reproduktion noch vorhanden ist.

And False Pregnancy at San Diego Zoo...
No more waiting at San Diego Zoo : Chinook will get back soon to her mates, finger crossing did not help...the zoo staff thinks that she had produced a false pregnancy. (Read full story here)

Kein Warten mehr im San Diego Zoo, alles Daumendrücken für Chinook half nichts, Nachwuchs wollte aus ihr nicht herauskommen, die Zoomitarbeiter gehen davon aus, dass Chinook eine Scheinschwangerschaft produziert hat, mittlerweile dürfte sie wieder mit Kalluk (er wäre der Kindesvater gewesen) und Tatqiq zusammen im Gehege sein...


Sources/read full articles here:
- Stuttgarter Zeitung/17.12.09 (dt.)
- GoEerie/16.12.09 (engl.)
- San Diego Zoo Blog/09.12.2009 (engl.)

Mittwoch, 16. Dezember 2009

Drei Freunde....Three friends...

They make an unlikely trio, but Baloo the bear, Leo the lion and Shere Khan the tiger have forged an unusually strong bond.

Considering that they would be mortal enemies if they ever were to meet in the wild, it is stunning to see their unique and genuine friendship in these intimate pictures.

Rescued eight years ago during a police drugs raid in Atlanta, Georgia, the three friends were only cubs at the time at barely two months old.

They had been kept as status symbol pets by the drug barons.

Delivered to the Noah's Ark Animal Rescue Centre in Locust Grove, Georgia, the decision was made to keep the youngsters together, because of their budding rapport.

'We could have separated them, but since they came as a kind of family, the zoo decided to keep them together,' said Diane Smith, assistant director of Noah's Ark.

'To our knowledge, this is the only place where you'll find this combination of animals together.'

Living with the zoo's founders for the past eight years, Shere Khan, Baloo and Leo have now moved to a purpose-built habitat were the US public can now witness first hand their touching relationships.

'We didn't have the money to move them at first,' said Diane.

'Now their habitat is sorted and they have been moved away from the children's zoo areas where the public couldn't really get a good look.

'It is possible to see Baloo, who is a 1000lb bear, Shere Khan, a 350lb tiger and Leo, who is also 350lbs, messing around like brothers.

'They are totally oblivious to the fact that in any other circumstance they would not be friends.'

Handled by Charles and Jama Hedgecoth, the zoo's owners and founders, the three friendly giants appear to have have no comprehension of their animal differences.

'Baloo and Shere Khan are very close,' says Diane.

'That is because they rise early, and as Leo is a lion, he likes to spend most of the day sleeping.

'It is wonderful and magical to see a giant American Black Bear put his arm around a Bengal and then to see the tiger nuzzle up to the bear like a domestic cat.

'When Leo wakes up the three of them mess around for most of the day before they settle down to some food.'

Surprisingly for three apex predators with the power to kill with a single bite or swipe of their paw, they are very relaxed around each other.

'They eat, sleep and play together,' said Jama.

'As they treat each other as siblings they will lie on top of each other for heat and simply for affection.

'At the moment they are getting used to their new habitat.

'Shere Khan is being quite reticent about the move, but Baloo, the bear is very good at leading him on and making him feel comfortable and safe.'

Explaining that the three 'brothers' have always seemed to share a unique bond, Charles said: 'Noah's Ark is their home and they could not possibly be separated from each other.

'You just have to remember who you're dealing with when you are with them though.

'It's when you forget that these fellows are wild animals that you get yourself in trouble.'

The trio's new habitat cost an estimated £15,000 and had to be constructed carefully, in order to accommodate its occupants.

Jama said: 'The clubhouse had to be very sturdy for the guys, because they all sleep in it together,'

She added: 'We had to include a creek, because the tiger and the bear both like to be in water.'

Visit : Noah's Ark website

Photo credits: Barcroft

Source: Telegraph (07.12.09) - Thank you so much for making me aware of this beautiful story, Betsy!