A sad farewell to Fritz and Tips

Tips, above was shot after escaping from her enclosure.
 Below is brother Taps. 

It has been a tragic week, with the loss of Baby Fritz at Tierpark Berlin, and now Tips, the sister Chocolate Bear at Zoo Osnabrück.


Es war eine tragische Woche, mit dem Verlust von Eisbbärbaby Fritz im Tierpark Berlin und jetzt Tips, die Schwester des Schokoladenbären im Zoo Osnabrück.

Fritz - Photo by Tierpark Berlin

We heard the terrible and sudden news that Tonja's cub Fritz in Tierpark Berlin was deathly ill with liver failure on Monday. By that evening, four month old Fritz, who had seemed so healthy just days before, was dead, in spite of the best veterinary care.


Wir hörten die schreckliche und plötzliche Nachricht, dass Tonjas Jungtier Fritz im Tierpark Berlin am Montag mit Leberversagen erkrankt war. Jedoch am Abend war der viermonatige Fritz, der vor wenigen Tagen noch so gesund erschien, trotz der besten tierärztlichen Betreuung tot.

Fritz's father Wolodja

With adorable photos and videos and frequent updates from Tierpark Berlin on Fritz and his parents, the world had fallen in love with this little white fluffball. Fritz was to make his first public appearance on Friday, March 10, but it was not to be. 


Mit entzückenden Fotos und Videos und häufigen Updates vom Tierpark Berlin über Fritz und seine Eltern hatte sich die Welt in diesen kleinen weißen Fluffball verliebt. Fritz sollte am Freitag, den 10.  März, seinen ersten Auftritt machen, aber dazu kam es nicht mehr. 

 Mother Tonja on right,
 with the late Aika and  Father Wolodja

There was sadness mixed with joy around the time of Fritz's birth in November. His twin sister was smaller and weaker, and lived only five days. Not long after Fritz was born, 36 year old Grandma Aika next door to the young bear.


Es war Traurigkeit mit Freude gemischt zu der Zeit von Fritzs Geburt im November. Seine Zwillingsschwester war kleiner und schwächer und lebte nur fünf Tage. Nicht lange nach der Geburt von Fritz verstarb die 36-jährige Oma Aika nebenan in ihrer Behausung.

Fritz developed into a charming and very active little cub, and all of Berlin rejoiced. For four months, we all fell in love with darling Fritz. His loss was so sudden, so heartbreaking. Fritz was with us for such a short time. He was just beginning his life, and now it is over, sadly. There may be other cubs at Tierpark, maybe even next year, but we will never forget little Fritz.


Fritz entwickelte sich zu einem charmanten und sehr aktiven kleinen Jungtier, und ganz Berlin freute sich. Für vier Monate verliebten wir uns alle in Liebling Fritz. Sein Verlust war so plötzlich, so herzzerreißend. Fritz war bei uns aber viel zu kurz. Er hatte sein Leben gerade erst angefangen, und jetzt ist es vorbei, das ist traurig. Es kann wieder andere Jungtiere im Tierpark geben, vielleicht sogar im nächsten Jahr, aber wir werden den kleinen Fritz nie vergessen.

Tips, the sister Chocolate Bear, had such a beautiful look about her.

Then on Saturday, while we were still in mourning for Baby Fritz, another German tragedy burst forth with the news that one of the 13 year old hybrid bears, the beautiful and rare Chocolate Bears of  Zoo Osnabrück, had cleverly made her way through a hole and through an electric fence into the fox enclosure next door, and escaped from there. Because they thought the bear a danger to the public, a zoo employee shot her dead. 


Am Samstag, während wir noch um Baby Fritz trauerten, erreichte uns eine weitere deutsche Tragödie mit der Nachricht, dass einer der 13-jährigen Hybridbären, die schönen und seltenen Schokoladenbären des Zoo Osnabrück, sich durch ein Lücke gezwängt hatte, dann durch einen elektrischen Zaun in das Fuchsgehege nebenan gelangte und dann von dort entkommen konnte. Weil sie dachten, der Bär sei eine Gefahr für die Öffentlichkeit, musste  ein Zoo-Angestellter sie leider erschiessen.

Tips with a smile. Sadly, she was too clever for her own good.

 At first we were not sure which bear it was. Then the news came that it was the clever sister Tips who had made her escape, and been shot. This leaves brother Taps alone, with only the silver foxes for company.

 Zuerst war man sich nicht sicher, welcher der Bären es war. Dann kam die Nachricht, dass es die kluge Schwester war, die  entkommen konnte und erschossen werden musste. Das lässt nun ihren Bruder Taps alleine bleiben, jetztr nur in der Gesellschaft der Silberfüchse.

Tips at feeding time

Their father was polar bear Elvis, born in 1979 in the Memphis Zoo in the USA, Their mother was Susi, a European Brown Bear. The birth in January of 2004 was a surprise and an embarrassment for the zoo. Since then, Tips and Taps had become celebrated bears, beloved for their unique history and their beauty, for they are indeed gorgeous, carrying some of the attributes of both kinds of bears. Tips was lighter, more like her father Elvis the polar bear. Taps is darker, more like Susi, the mother brown bear.


Ihr Vater war Eisbär Elvis, geboren 1979 im Memphis Zoo in den USA, ihre Mutter war Susi, ein europäischer Braunbär. Die Geburt im Januar 2004 war eine Überraschung und eine Peinlichkeit für den Zoo. Seitdem waren Tips und Taps gefeiert Bären, geliebt für ihre einzigartige Geschichte und ihre Schönheit, denn sie sind in der Tat wunderschön, tragen einige der Attribute der beiden Arten von Bären. Tips waren leichter, mehr wie ihr Vater Elvis der Eisbär. Taps sind dunkler, mehr wie Susi, die Mutter Braunbärin.

Taps at left. Tips on tree trunk.

Taps in water, Tips on rock

 They were also very playful, and visitors loved to watch their games, especially the playful Taps. Tips was the one in charge though. She was the alpha bear.


Sie waren auch sehr verspielt, und die Besucher liebten es, ihre Spiele zu beobachten, besonders der spielerische Taps. Tips war aber die Verantwortliche. Sie war der Alpha-Bär.

Tips and Taps during feeding time

The event in Osnabrück brings back the terrible episode in the Cincinnati Zoo last summer when beloved Gorilla Harambe, also the star of the zoo, was shot, through no wrongdoing on his part.


Das Geschehen in Osnabrück bringt die schreckliche Episode im Cincinnati Zoo im vergangenen Sommer zurück, als der geliebte Gorilla Harambe, auch der Star des Zoo, erschossen werden musste, auch nicht durch ein Vergehen auf seiner Seite.

The late Harambe

This week also saw a terrible story about a rare White Rhino living in a zoo safari park in France, who was shot dead by poachers to steal and profit from his horn. Vince was only 4 years old. Bogus claims of traditional medicine have driven up the price of rhino horn, although it is made of the same material as hair and fingernails, and is of no actual medicinal value.


Diese Woche lasen wir auch eine schreckliche Geschichte über ein seltenes weißes Nashorn, das in einem Zoo-Safaripark in Frankreich wohnte, das Nashorn wurde von Wilderern erschossen, um dann zu stehlen und von seinem Horn zu profitieren. Vince war erst 4 Jahre alt. Gieransprüche der traditionellen Medizin haben den Preis des Nashorns in die Höhe getrieben, obwohl es aus demselben Material wie Haare und Fingernägel besteht und kein wirklicher medizinischer Wert hat.

Tips had a beautiful stripe of dark fur down her back.

People love their animals, and there are certain charismatic individuals who are especially dear to us. We want our animals to be safe, and feel that in a zoo, they are safe, but there are no guarantees in life. When we care, we are giving hostages to fate, as the saying goes. But we must go on caring, even if it breaks our hearts.


Die Menschen lieben ihre Tiere, und es gibt bestimmte charismatische Individuen, die uns besonders lieb sind. Wir wollen, dass unsere Tiere sicher sind und das in einem Zoo auch fühlen, sie sind sicher, aber es gibt leider keine Garantien im Leben. Wenn wir uns darum kümmern, machen wir Geiseln zum Schicksal, wie das Sprichwort sagt. Aber wir müssen uns weiterhin kümmern, auch wenn es unsere Herzen zerbricht.

Tips

 

Farewell, sweet bear

Thanks to Marga Andresen Gransow for the German translation.

Elvis the King of Gelsenkirchen ZOOM

As we pause to observe the 35th anniversary of Elvis Presley's death, it is time to visit his namesake, Elvis the Polar Bear.

This Elvis is alive and well and living in Gelsenkirchen, Germany. Like the original Elvis, this hulking guy has a swagger and a sneer, and also calls Memphis Tennessee his hometown.

This Elvis loves his carrots. 

Like any popular celebrity, Elvis the Polar Bear was at the center of a scandal in his younger days! A love triangle of sorts.

Elvis was born in the Memphis Zoo, Memphis Tennessee, USA, in November of 1979, two years after the death of the original Elvis, and was named in honor of the late King. This cub's parents were Olga and Bruno.

When Elvis was a year old, he moved to Zoo Osnabrück in Germany, where he lived happily for many years with lady polar bear Sonja. They did produce cubs, but none survived.

Also part of the Osnabrück bear group were brown and black bears, in a strange arrangement, living together with the polar bears. Living in this bear commune were European Brown Bear sisters named Susi and Ossi.

After 24 years of living together, there was a surprise in January of 2004. Susi gave birth to twin cubs. Tips (the girl) and Taps (the boy) were Hybrids, half Polar Bear, half European Brown Bear. At first the birth of these hybrid cubs was something of a scandal and an embarrassment to the zoo, but public attitudes quickly shifted so that today Zoo Osnabrück is very proud of their rare and quite beautiful silvery bears. Many visitors come to Zoo Osnabrück just to see this unique accidental pair.

Tips and Taps have also become ambassadors of climate change awareness. Since climate change is causing more and more hybrid bears to appear in the wild, scientists are even more interested in studying Tips and Taps.

Elvis the Polar Bear gives us his best Elvis "sneer."

Elvis spends his days sleeping, playing with toys, and enjoying yummy snacks.

Elvis moved the Gelsenkirchen ZOOM in June of 2005. He is now living like a king in a luxurious environment in the Gelsenkirchen Zoo with a elderly lady friend, Fanny, who is one year older than Elvis. She also has a connection to USA bears. Fanny is the mother of Charly, born in 1995 in the Hamburg, Germany zoo. Charly has been living at Sea World in San Diego since 1997.

Fanny

Elvis and Fanny are enjoying their sunset years in a very nice zoo, which is also home to young lovers Bill and Lara, as well as the cute and sassy little Antonia, also a remarkable little bear as she is about a third the size of a normal bear. She seemed to be normal when she was born, and was very bold and rude, but failed to grow at a normal rate. So anyone visiting Gelsenkirchen can enjoy watching five bears: amorous young bears, elderly bears, and a special and very cute little dwarf bear.

Bill and Lara enjoy a beautiful new home at Gelsenkirchen Zoom

 On the day I visited last year, Bill and Lara were swimming and walking and very active, but darling little Antonia spent the entire afternoon taking a nap.

Antonia the dwarf bear sleeps in her private enclosure at Gelsenkirchen Zoom

As offspring of Olga and Bruno in the Memphis Zoo, Elvis is great uncle to Aurora of the Seneca Park Zoo in Rochester, NY. Haley, one of Aurora's cubs, is now living in the Memphis Zoo, which is the birthplace of her Great Uncle Elvis. So visitors to the Memphis Zoo can still see a relative of Elvis the King (Polar Bear).

Elvis admires his reflection as he takes a drink.

Elvis is now 33 almost years old, quite elderly for a polar bear. Fanny is almost 34. They are doing very well for their age, and although they move more slowly than younger bears, they are still active in interested in life.