Sonntag, 30. Mai 2010

Motherhood at its Best : Björk...Or how to get your babe from a tree....?

Heute im Aussenposten ist Muttertag, hier immer 2 Wochen später als woanders am letzten Sonntag im Mai...-

Today, two weeks later than nearly everywhere else, Mother's Day has been celebrated in the Outpost...
Aus diesem Grund ein anderes Video, das in den letzten 4 Wochen Furore gemacht hat. Björk aus dem Bärenpark Bern und seit Mitte Dezember Mutter zweier entzückender Bärenjungen, Urs und Berna, ist schon jetzt in die Geschichte eingegangen als Mutter, die nicht lange fackelt, wenn es darum geht, dem zu hoch hinaus wollenden Nachwuchs Erdverbundenheit beizubringen... Doch erstmal ein paar Fotos von ihr und den Kleinen, die seit dem 27.Februar die Höhle verlassen haben.-
On that occasion here a video which has recently been another hit on the Internet. Björk from Bärenpark Bern in Switzerland, and mother of two adorable bear cubs since mid December, Urs and Berna, has already made history as one inventive and straight-forward mother when educational intervention was needed confronted with a little one who had obviously a premature liking for height...But first some pics of Björk and her young after they left the den by 27 February, as I hadn't poted them before.

Einfach süß, die Beiden!Und nun das Video...-
Aren't they sweet?! But now the video...Enjoy!



Photo credits: Bärenpark Bern, Berninfo

Related posting: Frühlingsgefühle....Spring is in the air/26.02.2010

In the Spirit of Winnie the Pooh....Jonathan Trappe

"What do you want a balloon for?" you said.
        Winnie-the-Pooh looked round to  see  that  nobody  was
listening, put his paw to his mouth, and said in a deep
whisper: "Honey!"

"But you don't get honey with balloons!"

"I do," said Pooh.
"Flying a gas balloon is unlike any other experience. There is no sound. No propellers, no jet engines. No burner, no heart-thumping rotors of a helicopter. Not even the wind that gliders experience. This is true, silent flight.

For a child, a cluster balloon flight embodies all the magic in the world. In an adult’s eyes, a cluster balloon launch reminds of a dream so many of us once had, but has grown quiet.

When you launch a balloon, part of the wonder is that you do not know where you will land. You are carried with the wind, towards destinations unknown. It is a wonderful adventure, and it is the most pure form of flight."

Jonathan Trappe

- The man who crossed two days ago the Channel by 55 toy balloons...-

Note: It has not been reported if Jonathan Trappe got what Pooh was looking for...My guess is that more balloon flights will follow...))

-Sources: Jonathan Trappe's website Cluster Balloon , flight reports here

-Related articles: US-Abenteurer fliegt über den Ärmelkanal/29.05.2010 tagesschau.de

-Ein kleines Video findet sich hier & Winnie the Pooh

Freitag, 28. Mai 2010

Time to meet Siku at Toledo Zoo....


When I saw these photos about a month ago, just when Siku got his name, I thought time was flying...wasn't it just yesterday that I had seen him like that when he was tiny 4 weeks old...?

So, time to visit that little guy...Fortunately Molly (the person and not the dog) and a very good friend living a bit closer to him, had the same idea, many thanks for letting me post her report and some of her beautiful photos of Siku & Crystal...!Enjoy!!!

"The story of my visit - Sunday afternoon with Siku –

It was a 3 ½ hour drive up to Toledo, and I was very excited to finally see my first polar bear cub.
Since I have a Cincinnati Zoo membership, it was half price admission. The Arctic Encounter was right around the corner from the ticket gate. Because of all the attention given to the only polar bear zoo cub to survive this season in the entire country, the Toledo Zoo has arranged a viewing system. You stand in line for awhile, then groups of about 30-40 are ushered into a building, when a zoo employee shows a video, and gives information about Siku and his mother Crystal. Father Marty and another female Nan are out back, not on view. Siku weighs about 55 pounds, right on target for his age. He was born Dec. 3, 2009. Crystal had twins about three years ago. More talking.Siku had had his lunch and both mom and son were napping. The internal view enclosure was very high, you had to stand on a ledge to see them. He was cute napping; Crystal was sleeping too. After a 4-5 minute talk, my group was allowed to go to the viewing area – and we were allowed 4-5 minutes to view the bears. Then we were supposed to leave. I had driven a long way from Cincinnati to see this little bear, and I wanted to see him in action. So I lingered. And lingered. Several groups had come and gone, and still I lingered.

Crystal woke up and moved around a little. Finally, Siku woke up, and ran out to the swimming area. He has so much energy. He loves swimming, and he loves playing with the children who line up at the window. He took turns between diving and schmoozing the kids at the window. The children were fascinated with him. Crystal mostly paced back and forth while Siku swam and played.
Siku decided to swim to the outside area and play with the big balls and the huge floaty float. He really likes his toys. Then he came back and played with the kids some more. Siku likes to sit in the shallow part of the pool and chew on his foot. He is fascinated with his feet! Sometimes he would jump out of the pool and chase his mom, biting at her hind feet. Crystal looks really good. Her fur is smooth and full, and she seems to be pretty happy. Probably exhausted though, with Siku to look after. Mostly, she let him run and swim, and just kept watch. It is a great place for a young bear to play.

He had a little mountain to climb, a variety of pools, and some floaty toys. He seemed to want to play with the kids, though. One father warned his child that the bear was looking at him for lunch. I knew better. Siku was looking for a playmate.

I told the zoo attendants that I was taking pictures for a worldwide polar bear consortium, so they let me stay. I tried to keep out of the way for all the people coming through. I was impressed with the Toledo Zoo, but I didn’t like the time limit (which I ignored anyway). I suppose most families are seeing everything at the zoo, and their attention span is up in 5 minutes anyway. I rode the African wilderness railroad, and that was fun. I wanted to spend most of my time with Siku and Crystal. I hope you enjoyed my pictures. It was quite a day at the Toledo Zoo."

Text and photo credits: Molly Merrow , the lady "working for a worldwide polar bear consortium", see all her pics from the visit here

The first 3 photos are from Toledo Zoo

As to Siku's parents...

-Here an article about Crystal 10 years ago when she was named in Toledo. She was born November 10 in 1999 and was purchased from Zoo Monde Sauvage Safari Parc Aywaille in Belgium.-13 year old father Marty is the eldest son of Arki from Brookfield Zoo. He is also the father of Nikita (mother is Nan), Aurora and Anana (mother Crystal, all born in Toledo in 2006, find more pics of Marty when he spent some time in Pittsburgh here.

Lily & Hope - Reunited...The Details!

Lily nursing Hope after five days of seperation...

Heute gab es einen detaillierten Bericht über den gestrigen Tag, er ist so spannend, dass ich ihn hier auch fast ganz poste...Das Herz blieb mir stehen, als ich las, dass Hope es tatsächlich geschafft hat, noch einmal abzuhauen, nachdem sie bereits hübsch eingesammelt im Transportkäfig saß....

"Still Glowing"

All is well. We feel very good about all that happened yesterday. There are those who say we should not have intervened. But we think we answered bigger scientific questions by getting the facts. One question was whether the cub was sick and if Lily intentionally abandoned it because she knew something we didn’t. By catching the cub we could see it was a very vigorous cub even after 5 days. And after witnessing Lily’s wholehearted acceptance of Hope it’s difficult to believe she meant to abandon her. It also shows wildlife managers that cubs that have been away from their mother for 5 days can be returned. Some suggest that mother’s will abandon single cubs so they can mate and produce 3 cubs the next winter. While that might sound good by the numbers it didn’t sound good to Lily. It also showed that mothers whose breasts have turned hard and lumpy can still nurse.

Hope after 5 days on her own - May 26, 2010

What led to the reunion?
In part, it was persistence by a caring community. While we were searching the area where Hope was last seen, community members were searching more widely. The decision Mike and Ellen Kochevar made to search ‘one more time’ before they left town for a few days proved fateful. They spotted Hope on the side of the road in the area Lily and Hope had been just before moving around the lake—a full 2 miles away from where she had been seen on Tuesday! She ran when she saw them, but they were able to tree her and give us a call. We geared up and hurried to the scene. Two more calls came as we were on the way. “She’s coming down. What do we do?” “Do whatever it takes to keep her up there!” was the answer. “She’s weak and I don’t think she can hold onto the tree much longer!” “If she comes down, grab her by the scruff and don’t let go. We’re almost there!”

At first, it seemed unbelievable that this 4-month old cub could navigate the 2 miles back ‘home’ in her nutritionally stressed state. But as soon as we saw that unmistakable light face we knew it was Hope. She looked exhausted and we thought maybe she was weakened from hunger. Sue dipped a 5-foot long stick into sweetened condensed milk and extended it to the cub. Hope licked it and grabbed it with a paw. We lured her down within reach...(Photo:Colin Austin/Duluth News Tribune)
Hope hand-grabbed... (Photo: Colin Austin/Duluth News Tribune)

When Lynn grabbed her she dispelled all notions that she was weak or sick! Spunky Hope fought like a demon—screaming at the top of her lungs. She bloodied both of us as we worked to get into the pet carrier. Inside the carrier she didn’t let up. She was a scared slapping spitfire!

We emptied an entire bottle of electrolyte supplement into the carrier and Hope interrupted her defensive displays to lap it up. We gave her spoonfuls of sweetened condensed milk, which she eagerly licked. We finally slipped the entire dish into the carrier. She quieted down but was quick to slap and blow in her nervousness.

The famous pet carrier... (Photo: Colin Austin/Duluth News Tribune)

We put the pet carrier in the van and drove to radio-locate Lily a mile away. We found Lily about 0.1 miles off a road. We wondered if Hope’s cries would bring Lily to the rescue. Instead, Lily fled a half mile away! We tracked her down to the area where they had bedded at a white pine for a couple weeks after leaving their den. Lily wasn’t coming out to us so we decided to take Hope in to Lily. This is when our roller-coaster of emotion took a down-turn. Just as we were entering the forest, Hope’s frantic attempts to find a way out of the carrier were rewarded. The door popped open and Hope escaped!

She paused just long enough to look back at us, and then vanished into the forest. We were speechless. What now? Would Hope recognize this area she had spent so much time in as a wee little cub? Would she remember the white pine that was her security?

Lynn homed in on Lily’s signal and tried something new. At this critical time, could he get Lily to follow him for the good nuts that her fans had sent? The nuts worked. An hour later, as Lynn and Lily were approaching the white pine, Sue rejoined them and said in a hushed voice “There’s Hope.” She had appeared as quickly and silently as she had disappeared earlier.

As soon as Lily noticed Hope she ignored us and the nuts. At 30 feet apart, both bears seemed unsure. Hope moved. Lily seemed scared and started up a tree. Then she moved cautiously forward and so did Hope. Less than 10 feet apart and recognition was certain. They quickly came closer and showed what Lynn said was “the most beautiful display of animal emotion” he has ever seen.

Hope cried and tried to get as close to Lily as possible. Lily responded with her sweet motherly grunts—showing her acceptance and more. Hope tried to nurse while Lily half-dragged her toward the white pine where they had nursed so many times in April. Lily lay down and Hope eagerly nursed for the first time in at least 122 hours. We caught a little video of this touching scene and then slipped away.

We checked on them today and everything seemed back to normal with them playing and nursing. We will never take such simple family scenes for granted again! (...)

Bears face many challenges. 82% of the deaths documented in our 44 years of study have been from humans (shooting, trapping, vehicles, trains, electrocution, etc.). We’re glad in the case of Lily and Hope we could do something to help and obtain useful scientific information in the process.

Once again we’re overwhelmed by the generosity Lily and Hope fans have shown. We are shaking our head in disbelief at the thermometer level. Wow! Thank you so much! Your contributions will go a long way to furthering our educational efforts.

—Lynn Rogers and Sue Mansfield, Biologists, North American Bear Center

Read full report here: Lily the Black Bear
Photo credits: North American Bear Center, Clint Austin/Duluth News Tribune

Donnerstag, 27. Mai 2010

Außenposten Regenbogen.....News from behind the Rainbow Bridge

While still being over the moon due to the news about Hope and Lily, there are also news coming from our other Outpost, the one behind the Rainbow Bridge...Sad news though, especially for those being left behind, but what do we know...maybe they are all watching us, clapping their paws....or maybe it was just the trick of a genius ( I don't say names now), that for a certain moment no places on the bridge were available so that Hope could be rescued...However, Max and Minette, two more cats of the original "Wilde 13 ", owners of our good friend Barbara, won't be watching Knut on the PC like they did before, Max left this place already on May 4, too ill to continue occupying Barbara's place at the PC...which is said to have had a significant impact on his way experiencing quality of life during his last 3 years...

As to beauty Minette, she left this world just a few days ago on May 24, after a dental operation she did not wake up anymore...

Barbara must be a happy woman having had the company of such beautiful and interesting creatures who shared her life.

Max and Minette - we wish you farewell on your last voyage ....! You will be in good company, watch out for that special bearded guy surrounded by bears and wolves and...Say hello to our old friends Simba and Herr Nicholson...! More friends are going to join you all, but to that we will come later...!

Photo credits: Barbara

Hope & Lily - Reunited !!!

Hier ist der Bericht von Lynn Rogers über die Zusammenführung von Hope und Lily.Nach mehr als 5 Tagen der Trennung sind sie nun endlich wieder vereint und was mich daran besonders berührt ist, dass es tatsächlich möglich war die kleine Bärin überhaupt lebend zu finden und sie dann auch wieder mit der Mutter zusammenzubringen...Ich gestehe, ich bin hin und weg...

"Reunited at last!
"

It was the most satisfying moment of my 44 years of bear study. When Sue and I got the cub into the little carrier kennel and I saw Sue crying, I could hardly keep from breaking down myself. And then seeing Lily and Hope’s reunion was the most beautiful expression of animal emotion I have ever seen. Hope was bawling very loudly, and Lily was doing her pleasant grunts as Hope latched onto a nipple and Lily half dragged her nearer to the white pine where they had nursed together so many times in April.
Sue is readying video she took of the reunion. It’s late, and we were up half the night last night, so we’ll fill in details tomorrow. Thank you all so much for pulling together with us as we all went through this emotional roller coaster. The roller coaster effect continued right up to the unexpectedly wonderful end. More on that tomorrow. While we were in the woods attempting to reunite Lily and Hope we got a call from a homeowner who had a visit from Juliet. More about that tomorrow too! Thank you for the tremendous outpouring of support today. We can’t wait to meet many of you all at the Lilypad Picnic in a couple months.

—Lynn Rogers, Biologist, North American Bear Center

Find here the video of Lily and Hope's reunification

What a wonderful outcome....thanks to the efforts of Sue and Lynn who should be in for a good night's sleep, instead they continue to do their very best to keep us all informed...

Video credits: North American Bear Center
On this site you find more videos about Lily and Hope, also about the days of the search.

Breaking News: Hope has been found....!!!!

I just connected to facebook and found the thrilling good news, Hope was found some hours ago on her way back to Lily, now I am trying to find out more, the Lily and Hope websites are not yet updated so it will take some time to get more details....-

Gerade aufgestanden, bei facebook hereingeschaut und die Nachricht gelesen, dass Hope offensichtlich vor ein paar Stunden auf dem Weg zurück zu Lily gefunden wurde, da die Webseiten zu Lily und Hope noch nicht upgedated sind, wird es wohl noch etwas dauern bis wir alle mehr wissen...Ich bleib am Ball!

Himmel, was für ein Morgen!

Und nun wenigstens schon einen Artikel dazu....

Missing bear cub found alive, but future uncertain

Wed, 05/26/2010 - 7:24pm
Duluth News Tribune

EAGLES NEST TOWNSHIP — Sue Mansfield started crying as soon as she saw the cub’s face.

Even with the cub 30 feet up a cedar tree, Ely bear researcher Mansfield knew it was hope because of its light face.

After being missing since Friday evening, with researchers holding out little hope the cub was still alive, friends of Ely bear researcher Lynn Rogers called about 6 p.m. Wednesday to say they had a lone bear cub treed.

Mansfield and Rogers rushed to the site, which was nearly two miles from where the cub was last seen but was in an area that the cub and its mother Lily had frequented.

“This is where it spent much of its time, but it’s amazing it made it this far away in less than a day,” Rogers said.

Mansfield said the cub covered the two miles around the lake and likely had to swim a stream on its own to find the area where it had spent time with its mother.

Researchers now are deciding how to get the bear out of the tree and will likely wait for the cub, which appears weak, to come down on its own. Rogers said a major question remains on whether Lily will accept Hope back. Because they’ve been apart for five days, Lily’s hormones may have turned to the new mating season and away from taking care of her cub.

Because Lily is fitted with a GPS collar that gives her location every ten minutes, Rogers and Mansfield hope to find her yet tonight and reintroduce Hope to Lily to see the sow's reaction. If Lily accepts Hope, the story will end with their reunion. If not, Rogers will have to decide what to do with the cub with input from the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources. The cub could be raised by a wildlife rehabilitator and returned to the wild or could wind up as a captive bear at The North American Bear Center.

Article source:fox21

Mittwoch, 26. Mai 2010

Meet Kumo, the Kung Fu Bear...

Eigentlich wollte ich noch etwas warten mit diesem Video, aber wenn ich es mir so recht überlege, ist es vielleicht doch gerade der passende Moment nach dem Hope-Posting. Bären hören nie auf, mich zu überraschen, und etwas davon geht ein in die Hoffnung, dass Hope doch noch gefunden wird...Aber nun zu ihm.Kumo, was im Deutschen soviel bedeutet wie Wolke, er wohnt im japanischen Hiroshima Asa Zoo und ist bereits dort seit Jahren eine wirkliche Berühmtheit...-

Bears never cease to amaze me - ever heard of a Kung Fu bear?!? Originally I wanted to wait with this posting but thinking it over, maybe today is just the right day for it after the Hope posting. I still hope that with Hope we will also be in for a surprise, she is said to be sassy and vigourous, maybe that will help her. Anyway, here comes another bear celebrity...Meet Kumo doing tricks with sticks...

"A bear in a Japanese zoo has become an online sensation with his 'kung fu" skills.

Kumo, an Asian black bear, has been thrilling crowds at Hiroshima Asa Zoo for more than four years by twirling a stick like an expert martial artist.

But the animal's talents have now been discovered by English-speaking internet users - with a video of the bear set to 1970s pop song "Kung Fu Fighting" suddenly shooting up the viral charts after first being posted last year.

Kumo — the name means "Cloud" in English — even throws the stick into the air before catching it and continuing with the dexterous display.

The videos have been viewed on YouTube over 500,000 times.

Hiroshima Asa Zoo senior curator Haruo Otsu told ninemsn Kumo's skills were self-taught.

"It's very important to provide animals with a good environment so we give Kumo a lot of twigs, tree leaves and logs to play with," Mr Otsu said.

"He is very famous here and has been on the television and in some magazines."

Mr Otsu said Kumo seemed to appreciate the attention from visitors who came to watch his twirling skills.

A look through online archives proves Cloud's trick is no fluke, with video posted in 2008 showing the animal twirling a baseball bat in similar fashion.

The bat was reportedly a gift from the area's local baseball team, the Hiroshima Toyo Carp."

And now, just enjoy the video...!



Thanks to Betty who made me aware of that funny guy...Really, it was just the right moment...!!! Article source & photo credits: here, another article about Kumo can be found here

Hope for Hope, the little black bear cub...

"Missing bear cub Hope may be alive

The black bear cub made famous last winter when a video camera recorded its birth near Ely and that went missing over the weekend may have been spotted alive Monday afternoon by the public.

Hope, the cub of Lily that was followed by millions of people through a camera set up by bear researchers Lynn Rogers and Sue Mansfield in Ely, has been missing since Friday, Rogers said.

But a homeowner just a few hundred yards from a tree where Hope was last seen reported seeing a small, lone cub in her yard Monday afternoon. The cub ran into the woods when approached.

“We think it’s her, but we don’t know yet,” Rogers said via his cell phone from the woods near Ely.

Rogers and others were nearing the spot Tuesday afternoon, hoping to find Hope hiding in a white pine. The search is west of Ely in Eagles Nest Township along a county road. One side is dense swamp and forest, Rogers said, while there are cabins on the other.

“There’s no reason to believe there would be another cub alone out here,” Rogers said. “If we find it, we’ll try to lure her down (from a tree) with some condensed milk and see if we can’t get her back with Lily.”

Lily looking for Hope/23.05.2010

Meanwhile Tuesday, Lily the mother bear was nearly three miles away, having given up her search for her cub on Sunday and moved along on her way.

Hope hadn’t been seen since Friday, when she and Lily climbed a red pine to rest after a two-mile walk, Rogers said. Later Friday evening, Lily wandered more than two miles away, possibly chasing or being chased by a rival adult bear. By the time she returned Sunday, 50 hours later, Hope was gone from the tree and rain had erased any scent.

Lily trying to trace Hope by sniffing trees/23.05.2010

“We don’t know what happened — Lily spent the spring in very small areas, maybe 50 to 100 yards in diameter. It was hard to believe she was getting enough food — she finally left, we think to find better food, and took Hope two miles away,” Rogers said. “The last time Sue saw Lily and Hope together, about 6 p.m. Friday, they were both up a tree sleeping after the long walk.”

It took Lily until Sunday to get back to the red pine where she left Hope. But Hope was not in the area.

Here Hope at 2 months

At nearly 4 months old, Hope is just beginning to eat food from the field, but the bear could not be expected to survive for long on its own, Rogers said.

At this time of year, the cub’s best bet of nutrition in the wild probably would be ant pupae, Rogers said. But he noted that a young cub could not be expected to roll over logs or expose sheltered ant nests.

Lily is fitted with a collar that holds a GPS tracking unit so researchers can track and find her at any time. The cub, however, is too small to carry a collar.

Rogers, staff from the North American Bear Center and volunteers searched, as did Lily. But there had been no sign of Hope in the area. Rogers had all but resigned himself that the cub had perished.

That was until Tuesday afternoon.

Rogers said he left a pan of food in the area where the lone cub was sighted Tuesday and trained a trailcam on the meal-in-the-waiting.

As of 9 p.m. Tuesday, Rogers had not had any luck catching up to the missing cub, but he was expecting reinforcements. He said the St. Louis County Rescue Squad was on the way with a heat-sensing device that he hoped might reveal the young bear’s likely sleeping place in the tree canopy of the area.

Hope was born on Jan. 22 and left the den with Lily in late March after being watched for weeks by millions of people on the live Webcam placed in their meager den. It’s believed to be a first for a wild black bear birth in a den. Mansfield has continued to video the sow and cub since then, and she and Rogers often meet up with and spend time with the bears in the woods.

The videos and reports can be seen at www.bear.org.

Again Hope when she was 2 months old

Cathy Williamson of Brook, Ind., who last winter won a contest sponsored by Cub Foods to name Lily’s bear cub, echoed hundreds of messages left on Lily’s Facebook page this week.

“No matter what the outcome, little Hope will always be my shining star as well as many others’ shining star,” Williamson told the News Tribune. “She has done things for people better than any doctor could ever have done.”

Sounds familiar, doesn't it...?!So, whereever Hope might be at the moment, I just hope for her to be found safe and sound and to be reunited with her mother Lily. To be honest, the photos of Lily while she was looking for Hope got under my skin...

Hope gone missing has fuelled lots of emotions and triggered some discussions about how and if to intervene or letting nature its course. Here an article raising some of these questions.

Please find more about Lily and Hope on Lily's Facebook Fanpage with lots of additional links to videos and information, facts and research infos about black bears and Lily & Hope can also be found on the website of the North American Bear Research Center.

-Article source: Duluth News Tribune/by John Myers 26.05.2010
-Related article:
Star Tribune/25.05.2010
-Photo credits: North American Bear Research Center

Montag, 24. Mai 2010

Outpost News ...oder eher: In eigener Sache

Die vergangenen Wochen waren nicht nur bei den Bären ereignisreich, und wer sich vielleicht gewundert hat, warum es in Knuts Aussenposten dennoch einen Stillstand gegeben hat, dem sei versichert, dass es uns noch gibt.

The past weeks have not only been eventful for bears, and in case someone was wondering why it got silent here in Knut's Outpost all the same, please be assured, we are still around...

Für ein paar Tage haben wir mal kurz die Insel gewechselt, frische Mauritiusluft geschnuppert, es gab kein Internet und nur mitgenommene Eisbären in Form von Notizen, für alle Fälle, falls es Zeit zum zum Ordnen gegeben hätte.

For just a few days we went to our "mother island", sniffing some fresh Mauritian air, no Internet access where we were accommodated, some polar bears as companions were in my bag in form of notes which would have needed some further inspection, just in case if I had got some time left...

Zeit zum Ordnen, das ist mein Schlüsselbegriff, die fehlt gewaltig und so habe ich mich entschieden erstmal eine Atempause einzulegen, eine Arbeit von 6 Wochen ist aufzuholen um Daten neu zu rekonstruieren, die schön adrett auf einem neuen 8 GB USB Stick gespeichert waren, ein Verlust, den ich noch immer nicht ganz verdaut habe. Zu viele begonnene Geschichten im Blogentwurfsarchiv warten ebenfalls darauf fertiggestellt zu werden, sofern dies überhaupt noch möglich ist...

Time, this is what I lack most of the time and that's why I have decided to take an even longer break - 6 weeks of intense work has to be redone in order to reconstruct data which had already been stored neatly on a new 8 GB USB stick, a loss by accident which still weighs heavily. In addition there is list of blog entry drafts which gets longer by each day, waiting to get eventually finalised, if ever this is possible...

Die nächsten Wochen werden also vermutlich weiterhin nicht immer ganz aktuell sein...Und bevor es mit einigen traurigen Nachrichten der letzten Wochen weitergeht, erstmal eine Nachricht, die Simba in Entzücken versetzt hätte...Bei den Berliner Polarwölfen gibt es Nachwuchs - 3 kleine Wölfe wurden am 30. April geboren....

So be prepared, the coming weeks won't be too spicy in terms of brand-new bear news...And before I start with some sad old news of the last weeks, here something which would have been a mere delight for Simba - Polar wolf offspring at Zoo Berlin, 3 little wolf cubs were born on April 30...
Photo credits: Nene, please find a whole set of absolute lovely shots taken on April 22 here

There are a lot more beautiful photos and videos around, a seperate entry is planned...

Freitag, 21. Mai 2010

Fundsache....Eisbärmädels in Krasnoyarsk




Zwei vier Monate alte Eisbärenkinder zu Fuß in einem Open-Air-Käfig an ihrem ersten Tag an der Royev Ruchey Zoo in der sibirischen Stadt Krasnojarsk

Zwei vier Monate alte Eisbärenkinder zu Fuß in einem Open-Air-Käfig an ihrem ersten Tag an der Royev Ruchey Zoo in der sibirischen Stadt Krasnojarsk, 13. Mai 2010. Die zwei weiblichen wilden Eisbärenkinder wurden in die neue Heimat gebracht, nachdem sie Anfand Mai in der russischen Taimyr Halbinsel am Nordpolarmeer Anfang Mai gefunden wurden.

  Two four-month-old polar bear cubs walk in an open-air cage on their first day at the Royev Ruchey Zoo in the Siberian city of Krasnoyarsk

Two four-month-old polar bear cubs walk in an open-air cage on their first day at the Royev Ruchey Zoo in the Siberian city of Krasnoyarsk, May 13, 2010. The two female wild polar bear cubs were delivered to their new home after they were found in Russia's Taimyr peninsula on the Arctic Ocean in early May. 

 
Source & Photo Credits: 
REUTERS / Ilya Naymushin

Related:

Sonntag, 9. Mai 2010

Not neccessarily for Mother's Day...but why not?

I admit, most of these pics I found a while ago... I could have found them also yesterday or tomorrow, some of them are not even recent but I decided to post them anyway as I believe strongly that you will like them...(I missed to post them on Earth Day, now I think Mother's Day will do just fine ...)Dachshound Bessi guards a 5 day old tiger cub, abandoned by his mother, in northern Germany Zoo Stroehen (Fabian Blmmeln)
"A three-month old bear cub plays during a media session outside its cage at the zoo in Russia's southern city of Stavropol, April 21, 2010. The cub of six-year-old father Baloo and sixteen-year-old mother Margo does not have a name yet." (REUTERS/Eduard Korniyenko

"Melbourne zoo's new Asian elephant, which has been named Baby for the time being, receives a nudge from her mother after meeting the public for the first time, Feb. 10, 2010. Baby is the second elephant born in Australia, and the first one born through artificial insemination. After a 22-month pregnancy, she arrived Jan. 16, 2010. Three weeks later, Baby now weighs 300 pounds." (WILLIAM WEST/AFP/Getty Images)

"Buba, a baby bear born in January 2010, plays with her mother Ursina at the Juraparc of Mont-d'Orzieres near Vallorbe, Switzerland, Monday, April 5, 2010. "
It was taken by Dominic Favre, he took also this one last year...
A bar headed goose with chick in a Swiss Zoo near Lausanne...
"A baby antelope is fed milk at the Chester Zoo in northern England, Jan. 22, 2010. It is a Kirk's Dik-dik antelope, a rare type that is one of the world's smallest. The baby is being hand-reared at the zoo after its mother rejected it during recent cold weather there." (Phil Noble/Reuters)
"After welcoming its newest gorilla, the Toronto Zoo this week had the newborn's father choose the name. The zoo selected five potential names through a contest open to the public, and then set up piles of fruit at stations marked with the different name choices. The baby's name was determined by the fruit pile from which the father ate first. The winning name was Nassir, a Middle Eastern name that means protector. In this picture, Nassir is held by his mother Ngozi."(The Canadian Press, Nathan Denette/AP Photo)

And here, although no mother in sight..., a little fox on the run who somehow got into the lion enclosure of Zoo Wuppertal last year, but don't worry, either already smart or just faster, it got away before harm could be done...(Martin Meissner)

Last but not least, although not a kitten anymore, this cat managed to steal some fish...As mother of such a courageous cat, I would file this act proudly under "Mission accomplished..."!(P.Raveedran/AFP)

Photo & caption sources:
-
Do They Have Teddy Bears in Switzerland?/ABC Slideshow
- yahoo/Most E-Mailed Photos
-
The Frame- Animals in Captivity (not recent but awesome pics from last year in big format
...!)

Mittwoch, 5. Mai 2010

Auch Bären müssen mal....Soon: Bear loos in zoos!

Ein Bär muss mal, und zwar für große Jungs...Doch wer kannn schon, wenn man laufend gestört wird...?-

Big business is the order of the moment...But,who the heck can when being disturbed permanently...?
Haben Sie schon mal gekackt, wenn ein schönes Mädel angelaufen kommt....?-
Have you ever been able to poo when a beautyful girl was coming after you....?
Wenn selbst durch eindeutigste Signale und Zurufe, doch bitte mal kurz wegzugehen, diese Schönheit nicht abgehalten werden kann, Sie alleine zu lassen, da sie gerade entschieden hat... -

When even the clearest signals and appeals to leave you alone for a while or two don't make her go away as she has decided not to leave you alone as for her.....dass es genau dieser, ja dieser Moment sein muss, Sie mal eben kurz zu küssen...-
...it has to be exactly this very single moment and not a moment later to give you kiss...Was ja sonst ganz angenehm ist, Ihnen nun aber Krämpfe beschert...
Which is a rather nice thing but gives you the cramps... Wenn auch Umdisponieren und Ortswechsel nicht mehr helfen...
When even planned site changes end up in front of a closed door...Oder schlimmer, die Lady will als erste gehen....-
Or even worse, the lady wants to go first....
Dies alles muss bald nicht mehr sein...Keine Krämpfe und unerledigten Bärengeschäfte mehr...-
This all will be soon a scenario from the past...No more cramps, no more unfinished bear business...

Das dachte sich eine bekannte, auf Toilettenpapier spezialisierte Firma und kündigt für Mitte des Jahres ein Bärenklo an, das völlig unkompliziert auch in jedes Eisbärengehege eines Zoos installiert werden kann. Gedacht wurde bei diesem innovativen Konzept nicht nur an Sitzkomfort und Beinfreiheit, sondern vor allem an die Möglichkeit, Geschäfte in privater und ungestörter Atmosphäre zu ermöglichen. Der limitierte Platz in Zoos hat in den letzten Jahren zu immer mehr Verdauungsstörungen bei Bären geführt, verständlich, denn wer lässt sich schon gerne bei seinen Geschäften zusehen? Dabei spielt es auch keine Rolle, ob es sich dabei um die feste Partnerin handelt oder um neugierigen Nachwuchs.

This must have had a well-known company in mind, usually specialised on toilet paper they announced this week their newest product: the ultimative bear loo will be available by mid-year, and designed to be easily installed in every polar bear enclosure of a zoo. Main aspect of this innovative concept is not only to provide more sitting comfort and legroom, but to allow the bears doing business in a more private and undisturbed atmosphere. In recent years the limited space in zoos and the lack of intimacy has caused more and more indigestion disorders in bears, well understandable, as who does really like to be observed while being in the middle of big business? In this context it does not even matter whether the witness is a a long life companion or some curious offspring.
Wenn es um die Konsequenzen von fehlenden stillen Örtchen geht, sind Eisbären als Einzelgänger ganz besonders betroffen. Beobachtungseinheiten in verschiedenen Zoos wie Berlin, Pittsburgh, San Francisco, Toledo und Moskau wiesen nach, dass Gefahr ebenfalls von der dramatischen Entwicklung des digitalen Zeitalters ausgeht. Heutzutage muss ein Bär damit rechnen, dass seine ureigenste natürliche Bedürfnisbewältigung nicht nur von Mitbewohnern und Zoobesuchern verfolgt wird, er findet sich womöglich mit seinen Ausscheidungen noch am selben Tag bei youtube wieder...Ob in Real Time oder Zeitlupe, das Wissen um das Zusehen Zehntausender ist Zoobären zunehmend auf den Magen geschlagen...Durchfall, Verstopfung, Krämpfe sind noch die harmlosesten Folgen, Zooveterinäre befürchten langfristig chronische Krankheiten wie Magengeschwüre und Krebserkrankungen des Magen-und Darmtrakts. Bärenklo-Firmensprecher Anders Rückzug ist überzeugt davon, dass das Bärenklo für Zoos die gelungene Antwort auf all diese Probleme ist. Und wie sieht das Bärenklo aus?

When it comes to the consequences of missing "quiet places", polar bears as solitary animals are particularly affected. Observation units in various zoos in Berlin, Pittsburgh, San Francisco, Toledo and Moscow showed that risk emanates also from the dramatic development of the digital age. Today a bear has to deal with the fact that his very own natural need attracts not only curiosity of his direct environment on the spot, no, he might find himself with his excrements on the same day even on youtube again ... Whether in real time or slow motion, the knowledge of being in the lime-light of inspection by ten thousands has more or less beaten the bear on the stomach ... diarrhea, constipation, cramps are the least serious consequences. Zoo vets fear long-term chronic illnesses such as stomach ulcers and cancers of the stomach and intestinal tract. Bear loo-company spokesman Anders Rückzug is convinced that the bear loo is the successful response to these problems. And how does the bear loo look like, what will the bears have to expect?
"Ganz sicher wird er nicht so aussehen wie der Protoyp der ersten Stunde, den Knuts, Zeros und Antons hätte dies wohl gefallen, ist aber nicht wirklich optimal. Lange Sitzungen erfordern eine andere Architektur, im Zeitalter der Gleichbereichtigung muss das Bärenklo auch an die Bedürfnisse der Damen angepasst sein. Umweltschutzerwägungen und neueste Erkenntnisse über die Möglichkeit, Eisbärausscheidungen für die Gewinnung von Treibstoff nutzbar zu machen, sind in unser Modell ebenfalls mit eingeflossen. So wird der Eisbär als Botschafter und Symbolfigur gegen Klimaerwärmung in Zukunft mit jedem seiner Geschäfte mit dazu beitragen, dass Zoobehausungen in den kalten Wintermonaten, kosten-und energieeinsparend beheizt werden können. Unsere langjährige Erfahrung auf dem Sektor mobiler Potty Paloozas war genauso inspirierend für die Entwicklung des Bärenklos wie auch unsere Sit or Squat Kampagne. Bären mit iPhone oder Blueberries können nach jeder Sitzung eine Wertung abgeben, für uns hilfreiche Information für zukünftige Weiterentwicklungen. Lassen Sie sich einfach überraschen, im Juli wird es soweit sein"."Although this prototype of the first hour might please the Knuts, Zeros and Antons, the bear loo will look differently, long business meetings ask for a different architecture, furthermore, in the age of emancipation the bear loo has to meet as well the needs of the ladies. Environmental considersations and latest findings about bear excretions as one form of renewable energy have influenced our model significantly. With each business session the ambassador and symbol against climate change will make a difference in a very substantial way, an invaluable asset for cost- and convential fuel saving heating of zoo enclosures during winter months . Our long-standing experience in the sector of mobile Potty Paloozas and Sit or Squat campaigns have been likewise inspirational. Bears with iPhones or Blueberries will be able to vote after each business meeting, helpful data for further development of the model. Just wait and see, in July you will know..."
Natürlich wird aber auch an die Hygiene gedacht, unverwechselbares Klopapier wird in zwei Ausgaben hergestellt, wobei die extra strong Variante für Braunbären und Grizzlys sowie die soft und comfortable Variante für Eisbären bereits langjährig erprobt wurden. Wie übertragbar die Versuche am Menschen sind, bleibt abzuwarten, bislang gab es nämlich verglichen mit ihnen nur eine geringe Anzahl bäriger Probanden. Übrigens, auch an Panda - und Waschbären wird gedacht, hier ist jedoch das Stadium der Erprobung nicht ganz abgeschlossen, man wartet noch auf die Berichte aus Sezhuan...Of course, it is also about hygiene, unique toilet paper has been produced in two editions, the extra strong version for brown bears and grizzlies, and the soft and comfortable option for polar bears have already been tested over many years. How far the experiments on humans are transmittable, remains to be seen, so far there had been more tests on humans, whereas the bearish testers, in numbers more family like, became regulars in our outdoor labs. By the way, also Pandas and Coaties have not been ignored, but here the stage of testing has still to be completed in full, we are waiting for the last reports from Sezhuan ...

Bestellungen liegen bereits vor aus Bärlin, Wuppertal und Karlsruhe, Japanische Zoos liegen übrigens ganz vorne. Orsa hat abgewunken, bei ihnen können die Bären so unbeobachtet sein, wie sie es selbst mögen, Handlungsbedarf für Bärenklos gäbe es dort nicht.

Orders have already been made by Bärlin, Wuppertal, Karlsruhe, concerning the origin of orders, one can state that Japanese zoos are leading until now, Orsa has waived, no need for bear loos there as in Grönklitt the bears can be as unobserved as they like it themselves...
Note:
Bei der in Antibes/Frankreich aufgestellten Anlage handelt es sich nicht um unseren Prototypen aus der Versuchsreihe zum Recyclen von Bärenklopapier...-

Concerning the object which can be found in Antibes/France, you may want to know that it is not one of the prototypes of our BearLoo-Paper-Recycling research study...


Photo credits
:
Knut & Kein stilles Örtchen/ ChristinaM 31.03.2010
Alle anderen Fotos sind aus dem Internet...

Loo-related articles:
- The Charmin Bears:Leonard, Molly, Bill, Dylan, and Amy
- About Potty Paloozas, Charmin's Potty Palooza, About SitOrSquat& Potty Paloozas,
- Better bathroom Habits-Courtesy of Charmin (a nice article about the educational aspect of the Charmin Bears),
- Zur Übernahme von Charmin Deutschland durch Zewa:
Rettet den Charmin Bär, Ein Leben ohne Charmin?,

Don't miss the bear business related videos...
- Knut in Berlin/21.08.2008, Pittsburgh, San Francisco, Toledo, Moscow and another one amounting to even more than 141000 views ...

Find here: Knut, the call of nature & all about bear business- A collection...