Fatal accident in Aalborg ...Sweet Augo is dead!

 

AUGO

20.11.2010 - 04.05.2013

 - Photo:27.04.2013/Ulli J -

Ich bin seit Dienstag nacht in Reunion und habe mir vorgenommen, meine beiden Blogs von Zeit zu Zeit upzudaten, solange hier der Wifi Empfang funktioniert und ich nicht anderweitig beschäftigt bin.

Die ersten Tage kam ich zu nichts und gestern Nacht kam es dann gleich ganz dicke als ich endlich mal mein facebook account aufrufen konnte. Augo fiel in Aalborg beim Spielen in einen Sicherheitsgraben, brach sich beide Vorderbeine und musste eingeschläfert werden. Bei Ulli J gibt es einen ausführlicheren Bericht in Englisch und auf Deutsch.-

Since Tuesday night I am in Reunion Island, and my intention was to update my blogs from time to time, at least as long as the wifi connection is working fine here and I'm not engaged otherwise.

During the first days I came to nothing, and last night when I finally was able to access my facebook account, I was in for several bad news. One of those news concerns polar bear Augo from Aalborg Zoo in Denmark. Augo, just 2 and a half years old, fell yesterday into a safety ditch, once after Augo was lifted and examined, the sad decision had to be taken to euthanize the young bear as both front  legs were broken. Please find a more detailed report on Ulli J's blog in English and in German.

photo source

Augo war eine lebhafte und verspielte junge Bärin, die von ihren Pflegern in Aalborg und vielen Menschen auf der ganzen Welt geliebt wurde. Bis zu ihrem Unfall gestern dachten alle, Augo sei, wie auch der Name sagt, ein männlicher Bär, doch wie bei Mutter Malik  hatte man sich in Aalborg bei der Geschlechtsbestimmung geirrt. -

Augo was a cheerful bear, always playful, having made herself lots of friends with the zoo staff and visitors from all around the globe.Until the accident yesterday, everyone thought her to be a boy bear, hence the name, but obviously, as already similar to the story of her mother Malik, her sex had not been identified correctly when she was a cub.

video download 

Augo wurde am 20.November 2010 zusammen mit 2 Geschwisterchen geboren, die leider die allentscheidenden ersten Tage nach der Geburt nicht überlebt haben.-

Augo was born on 20 November 2010, together with 2 other siblings who unfortunately died during the first crucial days after birth.-

Hier nun ein paar Stationen und unvergessene Momente in Bildern aus Augos kurzem Leben.

Die ersten Fotos sind von Sussi Kober, die Augo am 8.Februar 2011 an ihrem ersten Tag draußen mit ihrer stolzen und sorgsamen Mutter Malik zeigen. -

Here some photos of sweet little Augo marking a few precious and unforgettable moments in her short life, starting with 8 February 2011, Augo's first day out, together with her fantastic mum Malik who touched me a lot being so caring, so relaxed and so incredible proud.Sussi Kober took these shots.

See the whole album here

Ich glaube, die folgenden 5 Fotos sind alle von Susanne Hansen, ich habe sie noch auf einem pendrive gehabt, den ich dabei habe. Falls ich mich irre, bitte ruhig eine Anmerkung machen, zumal mir auch die links für die ersten 3 pics fehlen.-

I believe that the next 5 pics were all taken by Susanne Hansen, I found them on one of my pen drives in my luggage. If I am mistaken, please correct me, especially as I do not have links for the first 3 pics.

16.03.2011 - see album Susanne Hansen

16.03.2011 - see album Susanne Hansen

Die nächsten 2 Fotos stammen von einer russischen web site, die ich natürlich ebenfalls gerade nicht wiederfinde...-

The next two pics were from a Russian site which I do not find at the moment...

collage by Sussi Kober

The famous blue hat show...when Augo was 4 months old...

Photos December 2011 by Sussi Kober

Eine Umarmung, die Geschichte schrieb in Sachen vorbildlichen Bärenverhaltens...-

Augo hugs Mummy and wrote Internet bear-story in terms of good bear behaviour...

Besuch aus Amerika - A visit from America
Photo:Molly Merrow

 

Curious...

Aalborg Zoo

Concentrated...
Aalborg Zoo

 

Investigative...
Aalborg Zoo

 

 

Playful...

Aalborg Zoo

Social...
Aalborg Zoo

 

Always on top...

Ulli J

Yes, Augo, we will miss you...a lot.

Rest in peace now...

Related:

- Aalborg: Ein folgenschwerer Unfall im Eisbärengehege – Augo ist tot   A tragic accident in the polar bear exhibit – Augo is dead/ Ulli J's Eisbärenblog 04.05.2013

 Sources and more Augo albums by Aalborg Zoo

- January 2013

- Winter 2012

- The polar bear enclosure

- more Bildergalleries

Was Bären am 1. Mai machen....

Franz and Devi at Naturzoo Rheine/Germany

 

OK, ich weiß nicht, was alle Bären am 1. Mai gemacht haben, aber diese beiden, sollen in den 1. Mai getanzt sein. Es sind die Lippenbären Franz und Devi, Bewohner des NaturZoo Rheine , Devi dürfte vielen noch aus Berlin vertraut sein, obwohl sie mittlerweile schon seit Oktober 2011 umgezogen ist. Und wenn Franz und Devi tanzen hat das nichts mit der Quälerei zu tun, denen sog. Tanzbären in Ländern wie in Indien immer noch ausgesetzt sind.
Ein Schutzprojekt, das beschlagnahmte Tanzbären aufnimmt und sich für sie um ein artgemäßeres Leben in Großgehegen bemüht, wurde auch vom NaturZoo Rheine unterstützt, deren im Jahr 2009 eröffnete Anlage für Lippenbären als vorbildlich gilt: Sie wurde 2010 vom Berufsverband der Zootierpfleger (BdZ) als „Bestes Tiergehege des Jahres mit dem BdZ-Biber ausgezeichnet.-

 

 OK, I do not know how all bears spent 1 May, but these two above are said to have danced into the new month, as it is an old custom in Germany. Sloth bears Franz and Devi are residents of NaturZoo Rheine, Devi is likely to be familiar to many from her first years in Berlin, although she was moved to Rheine already in October 2011. And when Franz and Devi are dancing then it has nothing to do with the cruelty to which dancing bears are still exposed in countries such as India.
A conservation project that cares for confiscated dancing bears in large enclosures providing species appropriate living conditions, was also supported by NaturZoo Rheine. The zoo's facility for sloth bears which opened in 2009 is exemplary: it was voted in 2010 as "Best enclosure of the Year" by the Professional Association of Zoo Keepers (Zootierpfleger -BdZ-) -

 

Related:
- Die Osterüberraschung ...Meet little sloth bear Devi/13.04.2009
- Devi & Franz by Christina M./ October 2011

 

 

Photo by Coleen Saunders

Und das sind 2 Eisbären am 1. Mai in St. Lunaire-Griquet in Neufundland, wo sie dabei beobachtet wurden, wie sie tagsüber durch den Ort strichen. Sie waren weder hungrig noch aggressiv. Es bleibt zu hoffen, dass diese beiden Maibären auf ihren weiteren Streifzügen Richtung Norden unbehelligt bleiben...-

''These polar bears were not hungry, they weren't aggressive, they just hung out in town for most of the day until the wildlife drove them away from town so they could head north. This photo was taken in my home town of St. Lunaire-Griquet, Newfoundland (located on the Northern Pennisula 10 km south of Lanse aux Meadows) 1st May 2013''.

Good luck to all bears in May and the whole year through...

Hundeweisheit...

Habe diese weisen Worte von Britta-Gudrun geschickt bekommen und ich finde das gerade sehr passend...In diesem Sinne an alle, die gerade in großen Schwierigkeiten stecken....Mich würde interessieren, wie es dann weitergeht...))

Dampfbad für einen Bären...Bear taking a Steam Bath

The most impressive shot first...))

IGOR Shpilenok, a ranger and photographer, followed the large brown bear as it relaxed, fished and slept among some of the 90 geysers that cover the landscape in Kamarchka peninsula.

The geyser field, known as the Valley of Geysers, is home to some 700 bears and allows people to observe the animals at a close distance.

The bears, who often travel from outside the area, have had no negative encounters with humans, with some even suggesting the bears are harmless if treated with respect from a reasonable distance.

The result of this trusting relationship is Shpilenok's incredible set of photographs showing the animal in it's natural habitat leaving trails between high mountains and feeding grounds across the expansive landscape.

Source & more photos:
- In Pictures: Grizzly bear enjoys steam bath in Russia/Daily Record 02.04.2013

Related:

- Kamchatka...Land der Bären und Vulkane.../12.12.2012

- Bären in Bewegung...Bears in motion.../03.09.2012

- "Der Bärenmann in Kamtschatka" - Charlie Russel/18.04.2010

Dea...Begrüßung auf Japanisch

"Ich heiße Dea und wie heißt du..?"-

"My name is Dea and who are you?" 

 私の名前はDEAとあ なたが言うようになります。？

Das ganze selbstverständlich auf Japanisch, denn Dea kann das mittlerweile...))-

It goes without saying that the conversation took place in Japanese as Dea has learned to master that language in the meantime..))

Photo: 13.03.2013Kimomasa Mayama-Landov

 Source

Related:

- Wenn Italienerinnen nach Japan ziehen.../01.04.2012 (engl/dt.)

- Family matters...oder Neues vom Bären-Einwohnermeldeamt.../11.09.2009 (engl./dt.)

Teatime...

Source:
I Bet I Can Find One Million People Who Love Their Pets Unconditionally

“It's not our job to toughen our children up to face a cruel and heartless world. It's our job to raise children who will make the world a little less cruel and heartless.” 
― L.R. Knost —

Schweine im März - Pigs in March

Es gibt Tage, da wünschte ich, Schweine hätten Flügel...oder könnten wenigstens surfen.

There are days, I wished pigs had wings.Or could at least surf.

 

Video source

Vor allem nach all den Nachrichten der letzten Zeit aus China...-

Especially after the latest news on pigs found dumped in a river...

source: Globalpost

Source:

- China Pulls out 5,916 Pigs From Shanghai River/ABC News 12.03.2013

- Thousands of Dead Pigs Pulled from Shanghai River, Prompting Contamination Fears/Time Newsfeed 11.03.2013

- 14.000 tote Schweine in Schanghais Stadtfluss/tagesschau 19.03.2013

- Skandal in Schanghai. Zahl toter Schweine steigt auf 14 000/Spiegel Online 19.03.2013

- Tote Schweine in chinesischem Fluss: Kadaverflut angeblich fast vorbei/Spiegel Online 25.03.2013

- Der Fluss der toten Schweine/ n-tv Mediathek Gallery

Und Rosie sang doch....And yet, Rosie sang...

Ich war vorgestern so kühn zu behaupten, dass Rosie zumindest nicht selbst sang. Wie man sehen kann, lag ich komplett daneben. Rosie war ein Hollywoodstar. Viktor hat über Google Books noch ein paar Informationen gefunden, die aus der Zeitschrift "Life" vom 19.8.1946 stammen.

Rosie wog damals 250 Pfund.Geboren offenbar 1936 in Brooklyn als Nachkomme einer russischen "histrionic" (schauspielerisch affinen) Bärenfamilie, lebte sie in New York bei ihrem Manager Stanley Beebe. Neben Radioauftritten gab sie auch Roller Skating Vorstellungen fürs Fernsehen und spielte in einem Hollywood-Film namens "Road to Utopia" (Der Weg nach Utopia) mit, zusammen mit Bing Crosby und Bob Hope.Der Film kann hier online gesehen werden.-

When I posted the photos of Rosie the Trained Bear I was so bold as to assert that Rosie at least did not sing. As you can see, I was completely wrong. Rosie was a Hollywood star. Viktor found some more information on Google Books which was published in the 19 August 1946 edition of "Life" magazine.

Rosie then weighed about 125 KG. Apparently she was born in 1936 in Brooklyn as a descendant of a Russian "histrionic" (acting affine) bear family, she lived in New York with her manager Stanley Beebe. Besides radio appearances, she did also roller skating performances for television and starred in a Hollywood movie called "Road to Utopia" with (Road to Utopia), along with Bing Crosby and Bob Hope.The movie can be seen online.

"Rosie, the star of the Stanley Beebe Russian Bear troupe which will be part of the entertainment at the Albany Sportsmen's and Boat Show Mar. 1 through 9, walks abroad arm in arm with Helen Paris, television star. Rosie, whose accomplishments include singing of a sort, appeared with Miss Paris on television broadcast."

"A trio of Russian Brown Bears including Rosie whose career includes several movie appearances and singing acts for television, are scheduled to go through their paces at the Albany Sportsmen's and Boat Show in the Wahington Ave., Armory, Mar. 1 through on. Stanley Beebe of Brooklyn is the trainer of the trio, which currently is performing at the National Sportmen's Show in New York.Beebe has seven bears, including two cubs born just before the opening of the New York show, but only three will be used in Albany.

Rosie, a 10-year-old, is star of the troupe, and accompanies Beebe in song, giving out with a coughing high C in true bruin fashion.Beebe's bears will be one of the12 acts which will make up a two hour program for the Albany show which is being sponsored by the Albany County Conservation Alliance and directed by the Campbell-Fairbanks Expositions, which stages the New York and Boston shows each year."

 Ebenfalls von Viktor gefunden hier noch ein Artikel aus der Pittsburgh Post Gazette vom 18.10.1946. Rosies Auftritte für Radio und Fernsehen werden dort sehr anschaulich beschrieben. Mit $ 75-100 Gage pro Auftritt ist sie eine Großverdienerin. Sie hatte zwei Brüder, Bobby und Tuffy, und ihre Eltern hießen Bill und Min. Offenbar waren alle künstlerisch unterwegs:

Here another article found by Viktor about Rosie in the Pittsburgh Gazette from 18 October 1946 with descriptions of. Rosie's appearances in radio and TV shows. She earns up to 100 $ per performance.She had tw brothers, Bobby and Tuffy, and her parents were Bill and Min, obviously the whole family was in acting.

"The family does ice skating, roller skating, mock love affair, and comedy-drunk skits."

"They live happily in a converted bus, usually parked in the back yard of a frame residence in Brooklyn belonging to their owner, Stanley Beebe."

" The Beebe bears made a great impression, especially with the very small spectators who naturally knew all about bears.These are very fine bears, happy, active and beautifully groomed", mentions another source reporting on a circus performance with animal acts featuring two (unnamed) Beebe bears.

But one can also find an article about an escape of two Beebe bears in 1940.

 Sources:

 The Knickerbocker News, Albany, If. Y., Friday February 21, 1947
- Life Article about Rosie
- Animal Acts/The Montreal Gazette 24.05.1943 
- Trained Bears Slap 'Em Down/ The Spokesman Review 29.02.1940

- Pittsburgh Post Gazette Article 18.10.1946

See also:

- 1944:One day in the busy life of Rosie the Trained Bear/ 03.02.2013

Thank you, Viktor!

1944:One day in the busy life of Rosie the Trained Bear

Her name was Rosie, she was a trained bear and she must have led a busy life back then 1944...

Here she is playing on the beach

source

This was the first pic I found accidentally, and sure, I got intrigued...

source

 source

Getting into the taxi looked like that
 source

source

Rosie rehearsing for a radio program

source

 source

It seems that at least she had not to sing herself... 
source

Rosie eating water melon

source

The photos were taken on 01 August 1944 by Photo by Tony Linck
(Time Life Pictures/Getty Images)

Unfortunately I could not find out more about Rosie and her background...

Polar Bear Treatment in Kingussie

 Arktos' root canal treatment in 2012

Wer die K-Files kennt, weiß dass Zahnarztbesuche bei Eisbären öfter vorkommen als man gemeinhin annimmt, Gesundheitsvorsorge und medizinische Check-Ups gehören zum regelmäßigen Ablauf von Einrichtungen mit Bären und sie sind umso wichtiger, da Bären nicht unbedingt zeigen, wenn ihnen etwas fehlt. Doch wie arbeitet man mit ihnen, sodass sie untersucht und behandelt werden können? Ein BBC Artikel hat sich bei Arktos und Walker in Kingussie umgeschaut, hier kommt der Artikel in Englisch, bei Ulli J findet sich die deutsche Übersetzung.

The only polar bears on public display in the UK are at the Highland Wildlife Park near Aviemore. Looking after them is a massive job and they need regular medical check-ups. How do you give polar bears a health check? And why does it require speaking German?

Walker is four, tips the scales at 463kg (72st 12lb) and has been at the park since November 2010, after being introduced from a Dutch zoo.

Arktos is five-years-old, weighs 474kg (74st 12lb) and arrived in April last year from a zoo in Hannover, Germany.

Potentially, the bears could each weigh more than 800kg (125st 12lb) when they become adults.

Since arriving in the Scottish Highlands, both males have required treatment for problems with teeth that, in the wild, could have been fatal. The dental issues were picked up during regular check-ups. 

Head keeper Una Richardson is responsible for keeping track of the health of these huge animals.
In a kitchen area at the wildlife keepers' base, she is spiking hotdogs and pate with big purple pills.
The medication is for Arktos, who has the skin complaint contact dermatitis on a few scratches picked up in play fights with Walker.

It took staff a few experiments before coming up with a combination of food and pills Arktos would eat without turning his nose up at it. Another member of staff pops in to collect some chunks of meat for a family of lynx. Opening the door to a walk-in freezer, she jokes that it is a chance to warm up from the cold outside. In a sink of boiling water, a bottle of washing-up liquid is thawing out after the contents froze overnight in a gritty, green slush. Outside under the morning's clear blue sky, there is snow on the ground and the temperature is -8C. 

Arktos' medication is hidden in treats to make sure he takes it

Una puts her tray of treats in a red plastic sledge and does the rounds.When she gets to the polar bears, Walker is at the fence with his nose in the air trying to catch a whiff of what is in the sledge.

"We've noticed quite a big difference in the bears' appetite between summer and winter-time," Una says. "Through the autumn they are packing on a lot of fat for winter and can carry an extra 11.5cm (4.5ins) of fat around their abdomen. Coming into winter, their appetite cuts right down."

The bears share a large open space with a pond. In one corner is a covered area which doubles as a shelter and a safe area for the keepers to examine the pair up close. Arktos is hand-fed his medication-filled treats and he munches them up. Una next lobs in their breakfast. Arktos makes a beeline for some big salmon, but Walker spies a prized slab of fat, snatches it from under Arktos's nose and runs off.

Una says: "They have very different personalities. "We got Walker at a younger age and he's more used to us and very calm and relaxed around us. "Arktos is a little bit more wary at times and nervous of doors and things like that, but the two of them get on brilliantly. We couldn't have hoped for better."

 

After her morning break, Una returns to the enclosure with another keeper, Robbie. It is now time for the bears' check-up. Plastic bottles of smelly, yellow cod liver oil and tinned mackerel entice the bears down to the covered area.

Una starts talking to Arktos in German. The polar bears respond to words, hand gestures and "targets". "They are not tricks we are asking them to do. The training that we do with the bears is basically for a simple amount of behaviour that allow us to look at them close up and lets us know if there are any problems with them."

Walker responds to "targets" which are made from lengths of wood and blue plastic.He opens his mouth as if yawning and, when instructed to stand, he rears up to more than three metres (11ft) on his back legs.

The training to open their mouths was key to staff spotting a rotting upper left canine bothering Arktos last year and a damaged tooth that troubled Walker in 2011. Arktos required root canal work and Walker an extraction.At the time of his dental work, Walker was still small and light enough to be operated on an improvised table made from planks of wood laid on straw bales. For Arktos, however, much thicker planks and builders' scaffolding were needed to take his weight. 

More photos of Arktos' root canal treatment can be found here

Standing, sitting and lying down allows keepers to examine the bears' bodies. After completing the tasks, the bears lap up the cod liver oil.

Robbie also hefts two big blue empty plastic barrels next to the enclosure's pond. Arktos and Walker run to their new toys and handle them like a couple of competitors in the World's Strongest Man contest.

Walker rolls his barrel on to the frozen pond and without a moment's hesitation launches himself after it. His body crashes through the ice into the cold water below. "They love the winter weather," says Una. She adds: "The other day they were sliding down the snow on their stomachs."

Sources:

- How do you give a polar bear a 'medical'?/BBC 31.01.2013

- Kingussie:Warim muss eine Tierpflegerin in den Highlands Deutsch sprechen?/Ulli J's Eisbärblog 31.01.2013

Related:

- One tooth less....Walker beim Zahnarzt..../16.08.2011

- 'Say Raaarrr': Polar bear Arktos' dental work/BBC 16.11.2012