5oo postings on the K-files - Celebration Time & Time for Brumas...

"Remember Brumas? Offspring of Ivy and Mischa, she was born at London Zoo in the distinctly wintry November of 1949 – the first polar bear successfully to be reared in Britain and no matter that, unaccustomed to such arrivals, the keepers for several months wrongly assumed that she was male.

All manner of souvenirs were produced, from soap bars to those Dean’s Rag Books, now worth a small fortune. Zoo visitors increased by a third.

The truth of the matter, however, is that Brumas wasn’t named because of the Arctic conditions but after her keepers, Bruce and Sam.

Much mourned, she died in 1958."

Vor ungefähr einem Jahr habe ich das erste Mal von Brumas gehört, ich stolperte über einen Artikel mit einer alten Fotografie , während ich an sich dabei war mehr über Mercedes und ihr Leben herauszufinden. Historische Fotos von Eisbären zu finden ist eine dermaßene Rarität, dass ich sofort weitersuchte, um etwas über diese kleine Maus zu erfahren...

Ich wurde fündig, wenn auch nicht immer den Tatsachen entsprechend...Terry Nutkins gelingt es in einem Artikel über Eisbären, in dem er auch Brumas erwähnt, sich gleich mehrfach zu verirren, noch 2006 glaubt er, dass Brumas ein Wildfang (in der ersten Ausgabe des Artikels kam sie aus der Antarktis) und ein männliches Tier war...Mittlerweile kennt die Knut Community Brumas Geschichte ganz gut, denn ich war nicht die einzige, die über Brumas stolperte. Viktor vom Knutitisform z.B. stolperte erstmal über diese spanischen Zitronen. Bis heute hat er nicht herausfinden können, warum spanische Zitronen ausgerechnet nach einem Eisbär benannt wurden, der Aussenposten übrigens auch nicht, denn eine Ortschaft namens Brumas, in der Zitronen und Orangenbäume wachsen, erklärt nun wirklich nicht den Eisbär auf dem Etikett...Doch was soll's, dafür hat Viktor wirklich gearbeitet und noch einiges mehr an Material zutage gebracht, Material, das ich hier ebenfalls verwenden darf...-

I was not the only one stumbling over Brumas, take Viktor from he Knutitis Forum, he stumbled over some Spanish lemons. The fact that a polar bear was depicted on the label naming the brand Brumas, got him digging too. Until now he couldn't find out why Spanish lemons were named after a little polar bear who was born 60 years ago. The outpost couldn't help him either, a little village called Bruma in Galicia where oranges and lemons grow doesn't make an explanation ...But who cares, what counts is what Viktor and others found in consequence as material about Brumas, material which I am allowed to use here too...
Das heutige Jubiläum nehme ich zum Anlass eine kleine Serie zu starten mit Eisbären, die auch schon vor Knut Schlagzeilen gemacht haben, allen voran Brumas, zu der es mehr postings geben wird, aufgrund der Fülle des Materials nicht alles auf einmal, sondern in Raten.... I have become infected with Brumas last year when I learned about her existence by mere accident while doing research on Mercedes, who is considered to be the last UK polar bear living in an UK zoo. It lead to more digging about the situation in the UK, where polar bears in captivity have become more or less history...When it comes to the biographies of the bears, their origin, their offspring, their whereabouts records are usually incomplete and raising more questions than answers. Fortunately this does not apply to Brumas, thanks to her fame as the first successfully reared cub in the UK, her story is well recorded, at least up to a certain extent and especially concerning her first year of upbringing.So, just go back 60 years in time and enjoy her stunning story which will feels familiar when thinking of Knut...

As this is the 500th posting on the K-files, I'll take the occasion with Brumas to start a little serial about polar bears who have made headlines already long before Knut.

Today's posting is just a beginning, there is more to come, due to the extent of material in bits and pieces...Enjoy!

Sources & photo credits: Gorilla Tactics/Mike Amos 14.01.2009, Life/01.05.1950, Brian Sibley's Blog, Brumas on Knuititis/ Viktor's Thread, Life Magazine 01.05.1950

See also on picasa archive material about Brumas:
- Collection: Verrückt nach Brumas, Brumas - A Picture Book Of The Cub Born At The London Zoo

I want to thank here already Viktor, Frans and Dürener 1 who contributed enormously by sharing their material about Brumas, I wouldn't have been able to access all archives or even to buy the rare books about her. So, without them it would have been only half of the fun...Just thank you !