Sunday 19 April 18.57

I cannot quite believe it. I am actually here in Berlin.
What a day. After my usual full English breakfast at Terminal 5 I was able to get on the early afternoon flighwith no hassle. Even got to see one of the new super Airbus 380s taxying just in from An X9 had just arrived (it was now 4.20).

Arriving at the Zoo I went to the annual card renewal office to renew my card. The ladies told me that although it had expiry 20 April on the card it would be valid till the end of the Month, we shall see. I think it may only cover tomorrow.

Enough of this, I can hear you saying. I hurried to Knut’s enclosure. He was swimming in the ditch and was being admired by acrowd as usual. When he emerged I thought he looked the business, sleek and clean. There seems to be some disagreement about his present size, which is very slim and muscly. Perhaps he needs more fat, but surely not just yet…

Thanks for the tip (the big schnitzels at Joe’s Wirthaus). Tonite I am just thirsty as breakfast and my sandwiches on the plane were very filling. Also seeing Knut in full trim I am feeling a little guilty.

The four bears seemed none the worse for their encounter of late. Lars was dozing on a rock. Tosca near him, doing her head swaying, but looking okay. Katyusha and Nancy already had their heads in the night doors.
Knut also got a final call. Just after 1715 he received a loaf of bread thrown into his  ditch. Watching Knut eat is delightful. He eats slowly and delicately, making sure nothing damages his mouth, just as he would in the wild.

By 1730 all the Polar bears were safely away, so I went to look at the new babies in the Elephant and Hippo houses and then to the Rhinos. Baby Kito and his Mum were waiting to be let in for the night and looked so comfortable together. Kito recognises his name. Finally, I watched Bao Bao waiting his turn to go to bed.

Leaving the Zoo I was in the mood for some silly, but bear-related shopping. I now have a singing bear with rose (Polarof course) which I want to try out. I also bought a board game of the Philip Pulman film/story about Lyra and the armoured bears (Golden Compass). The German boardgame is so much nicer than the onw sold in England.

I am so happy to be back in Berlin. The weather promises to be good tomorrow so I am off to the Tierpark to see the gang there in the morning. I will report more tomorrow.

Monday 20 April 12.45

For a change I am in a Russian run Internet cafe opposite the East Berlin Main Station (Raspi-F knows the owner).?After a light early breakfast of coffee and a roll with Plum Jam (Pflaumenmouss) (Bao Bao the Panda´s favourite) I was off to the Tierpark in East Berlin
 
Tierpark East Berlin Monday 20 April 2009

For those of you who have not been to the Tierpark in East Berlin
I started as usual with the little colony of five Malayan or Sun bears. Even Lailani (spelling?) is now as big as Dara. They have only rather cramped cages but are given lots of things to play with and eat. The keepers appear often on German TV and these bears are well cared for. Dara in particular is sweet, she sometimes recognises her name,
 
My next animal stars are a real surprise. Hyenas! Thanks to German TV I found that the same chap who looks after Dara and co is also really into looking after Hyenas. I found the gang (Malindi, the mother is in charge,
with her various aged daughters. Her husband is very sweet and does what the girls tell him) out in the sun. One of the little ones was particularly inquisitive and as long as I was still she came and eyeballed me. They have lovely multi-coloured fur and great big eyes.

On to the next treat. In a special walk through area one can sit and allow a colony of ruffed lemurs (Varis in German) to come and beg food or even groom you). A red Vari decided my US Army windcheater was so old that it needed a twenty minute lick and came to do the same.
I have a few tips. Pick a nice sunny day, like today  Give yourself plenty of time and be prepared to stroll around a large park. Download the map on the Tierpark Berlin site it will allow you to concentrate on the things you want to see . Remember this was East Berlin so don’t expect the same level of service but at the same time it is a much more relaxing place.

The stars of the Tierpark and the Zoo Director´s passion are the large family of Asian and African elephants. Tuzha (?) is the latest minifant to arrive amongst the Asians, while Kando and Kariba the little Africans are still as cute as ever. All were outside enjoying dustbaths.

In the Alfred Brehm cathouse I saw that Baby Antares has grown a lot . I also learnt that his father is Darius, and they share the same mother (scandalous, but it all happened too fast according to the keepers).
On to the Red Pandas, but I had to weaken and give the goats and sheep 50 cents worth of pellets. This is very dsangerous. I do not think Streichelzoo means what my dictionary says. A red little goat looking likke something out of a witchcraft film followed me round and took more than its fair share.
Escaping the Devil´s spawn I made my way to Quincy.Isabelle and Geordy, who were all enjoying the morning sun. Finally, with it getting on for half past eleven I went tosee my favourite bears.
 

Finally, I passed the Peruvian bears and saw a mother and cub asleep. I still cannot establish how many cubs there are (three or four?)
 
Remember if you have a Jahreskarte for the Zoo you can get a half-proce ticket at the Tierpark for the visit. The Tierpark can be enjoyed both in the morning and the afternoon (ideally try both as the animals in many cases are differently behaved throughout the day).
I left for my next mission. En route I changed S Bahn at Lichtenberg station and found a cheap way of eating. On the platform is a snack bar called “McCenties” and they sell many Berlin specialities like Currywurst for only 1 Euro.

Zoo Bahnhof Berlin 1500
With my Pound only being worth 1 Euro or so this is very welcome. After Pommes and Wurst I arrived at Warschauerstrasse and had a long but easy walk to O2 stadium home of the Berlin Eisbaers hockey team. Loading up with two scarfs and a little pin of the growling Eisbaer head (Trolle I am sure) I now feel that I have become a little bit more of a Berliner

Trolle is Berlin´s largest Polar Bear and a fine looking bear. He was prowling around obviously hoping that a keeper was near with some food. I still have not found the feeding time for the E Berlin bears but think it is 1400 or so. Trolle looked as if he knew and was impatient. Aika on the other hand has a much smaller head than the Zoo girls but today she was dozing in the sun and looked very white. I got her to look at me, but she was not up for a swim so went back to sleep. The water in the pool is much cleaner than in the Zoo and the bears have a rather rocky landscape but like most Polars do their own thing.

And so at nearly 1330 this is Ralph Morton for Knuts Kugel signing off and getting ready to catch the S bahn to the Zoo in time for Knuti´´s afternoon conference at 1430

Tschussi

Today´s action is nearly over for me as I have to go on to do some shopping and meet some friends in the evening, but as usual I have left the best till last.

Knut was in position for his afternoon feed. I was lucky to arrive in time as I had stopped to buy a Muellermilch mango and melon drink to slake my thirst. At about 20 past 2 Herr Roebke and an assistant arrived to do the business.

Knut is now a very polished performer. He exudes calm and confidence. When Herr R began to throw things, Knut just stood and watched to see what was coming. An Iceberg lettuce was watched and ignored. A carrot was ignored and noted for later. A banana was caught deftly and swallowed. Then a croissant flew. Knut caught it gently and ate with relish. Meat and fish were dived for. Knut has worked out the limits of his narrow channel (just as a real Polar would do in the wild). He drops gently into the water in a slow dive. I am so looking forward to tomorrow. As a bonus on the way out, one of the female Polars was stretching by the rock wall and posing like the star she is.
Be seeing you tomorrow and Knut blows kisses to all

Berlin Tuesday 21 April 2009 0850 local

Thanks to everyone who has wished me well and glad you like it so far.

Last night I went with a couple of people to a traditional German restaurant in Berlin with cuisine from the former eastern parts of Germany now in Poland and Russia. Yes, you can guess, I was eating Trolle style. I had worked up an appetite after all the adventures yesterday and so had to have the dish of the house: fried eggs on top of fried potatos and lots of bacon strips and pork. I have shortened my life by at least two years, but it tasted wonderful. I then had a Berliner Weisse mit Schuess drink to follow: Light beer with a fruit syrup. Thing is its is green in colour and looks spooky.
Today, the sun is shining and I am the Dunkin Donuts just along from the Zoo entrance. These places seem to be closing so next time I may have to use Raspi-F´s friend again. Knut awaits and I always love to watch him as soon as the Zoo opens, especially now that there are so few regular watchers at this time in the morning.
Bisknut
Ralph
 
I managed to get into the Zoo straight away at 0900 and decided to see what the hippos were doing before the crowds come. The pygmy hippo was swimming inside the glass fronted tank with her little one keeping close behind. Hippos do not actually swim, they bounce off the bottom and walk along it. The little one is even sweeter than Paul. Outside the bigger version was having grass for breakfast with her calf. This is something you can only see in a Zoo at such a small distance.

On to the star of the show….
Arrived at Knut’s enclsoure to find a small number of people with cameras. Knut was in the water and threw a damaged ball in my direction, which I am ashamed to say I did not catch and it dropped between the railings and the glass. A Berlin lady, much braver than I am, went over the rails to fetch it. As a foreigner my excuse is I would hate to be banned from the Zoo and be quoted as a foreign rowdy. She threw it back to Knut who then decided that something else was of greater interest. He has evidently decided to hide all his favourite toys in the water and only bring them out when he feels like it, and prevent the keepers from taking them away. He recovered first a Christmas tree and then his favourite seal play toy (see Hartmuth’s excellent series of pictures). I am amazed at how much energy and power Knut already has. He is slim but powerful. Reaching up to an overhanging branch he showed this by nearly breaking off a branch.  

Knut also knows that if he goes around the back of the ditch he can dodge the cameras altogether. This is one smart bear. I then want on to the daily feeding.

The gang of 4 bears were out in the lovely morning sun enjoying themselves. Tosca had found herself a spot on the little island at the front where the keepers first appear. Lars was sunning himself on a rock with Katyuscha and Nancy same nearby. Nancy (it was her I saw in the sun stretching yesterday) decided to flirt with Lars by exchanging open mouths and sniffing each others breath, coupled with soft grunts of interest. They then decided to rest and Lars lay down behind Katyusha. Feeding was watched by lots of teenagers who were delighted with my tips about what to watch and who the bears were. Nancy is now nearly as good as Lars at standing up and catching meat. Katyusha is at present much whiter than the others and has a more malish head than Nancy and Tosca. Tosca is so pretty that I can understand why TD loved her so much. She knows she is Lars#s favourite.

Well that is my morning shift. I have to go and do some shopping now. Life is sure tough when one is having fun. Berlin I love you and the bears are looking good. Be back this afternoon when I have seen Knut fed.
Bisknut, Ralph

I am back! First of all. I am really ashamed that I did not catch Knut’s ball, but it is also true that a good reporter should never become part of the story. Next time I will have to leave it for someone else. I have just been with a friend of mine who works in Berlin part time and commutes back to his wife and 2 year old son in West Germany. He thinks I am mad as we worked together in Germany 5 years ago. We met up at 1630 at the amzing new Hauptbahnhof and went to a cafe on the Spree beach near by. I cannot imagine being able to do this in London. After a couple of tall cool Weizenbeers and a Flammkuchen ( akind of crisp pizza) with chicken I had briefed him on the Polar Bear situation. He thinks I am mad, but we also talked about him getting his son to see the Zoo soon. Now I am ready to complete today’s report

Berlin Zoo Tuesday afternoon 21 April 1415 to 1530 local

Knut
Knut has a nice lady feeding him. They have a routine of Knut being thrown a lettuce first. Knut catches this and then drops it for later. As if by agreement the next thing to be thrown is a croissant, which is enjoyed by Knut. Knut stands proud like his father Lars and waves his paw. I think this is designed to show that he is ready, rather than being a?human style wave. He is now a polished performer and works with the keeper (Sylvia?) to get the best out of his feeding time. I love the way that Knut remains very much in charge of his arrangements. He is not a passive circus animal but a highly intelligent predator who maximises his chances. A salmon comes flying from a kind Zoo visitor. Knut is able to fillet it in seconds with a polished manner.?I then left to see the Gang of 4 but returned later to find Knut asleep having adopted a fetching black and white dalmatian look .

Berlin Zoo Tuesday 21 April 1500

The sun was shining really brightly now. Tosca had decided she would do her head-swaying and standing act and hope that this would bring the evening feed a bit closer. Nancy had decided that she looked best sleeping and streching in the other corner of the enclosure as far away from her rival as possible. However, the most dangerous housebear was Katyusha who had somehoe been persuaded into the water by Lars and was playing with him the most flirtacious manner. Later on, however, at about 160o they had settled down for the afternoon sleep. The four bears looked so sweet curled up in their own parts of the enclosure.

Adolpho??On a hunch at about three thirty I decided to see if anything was happening in the Anteater world. I hit gold. The main keeper was?approaching the enclosure with a phtoographer in black. Something was afoot…

So I got talking to the keeper who tole that Adolpho would be going to a Zoo in Brittany. I followed them and waited until they brought Adolpho out for soething like a 20 minute photo shoot with his keeper. They were fun to watch as they cuddled and then petted. I love the way in which Anteaters seem to be able to use their tails to shield themselves and can restrain their powerful claws. Afterwards I spoke again to the keeper and he told me that tomorrow Adolpho will be off to France.

Well that it is all for today, but I think you will agree it is certainly a nice place to be. I have stocked up on Knut postcards for the?ladies in the local library where I normally use the Internet link and will be back all too soon on Friday morning when I send my last report from there.
And yes I am jealous that Lars is trying to make out with Katyusha. Tosca however gave him the cold shoulder with a gentle throaty grunt.
?2.04.2009 morning

I am really grateful for the nice things you have all said aboutmy short reporting from Berlin. Patricia Roberts’ report is with me as I write this, Patricia, I used your report to help brief me before coming
Now for my brief Bearlin Cast Guide

Zoo
Knut Knut is turning from Brad Pitt into Daniel Craig. He is lean and determined but also a fun guy.
Lars Lars is such a big softy and looks so fine when he stands up. George Cluny? “The Desperate Housewives”
Tosca Tosca is just too pretty and sweet, she is also Lars’s favourite but not afraid to let him have aslap Nancy A beautiful bear who believes in keeping?her fur top fit, but also a bit sharp at times. Katyusha What can I say, you were doing good yesterday with Lars in the pool.
Tierpark
Trolle He is the bear from the Golden Compass Iorek. A big gentle bruiser like Robert Mitchum or Kirk Douglas?Aika The smallest and oldest lady in the pack.
So I am off to the Zoo.

Berlin Wednesday 22 April 1100 local

I arrived at Knut´s place to find the main bear resting from yesterday´s exertions. He looks so peaceful when he is asleep, paws covering his eyes. Occasionally a noise disturbs him and he looks up. Leaving Knut to his well-deserved rest I sauntered round to the main Polar bear residence.

Here was Lars sittig in the middle of the arena. Nancy rested on top of the highest rock. Katyusha now pacing behind Lars to make sure he was still interested in her. Tosca seemingly fed up had reverted to swaying her head and waiting for the feeding time.

At 1030 sharp the young lady arrived to feed the bears. She seems to have a real rapport with them (maybe the spirit of TD lives on). The first meat is thrown to Tosca who is in the water. Then Nancy is given a piece and even Katyusha. Lars seems okay with this, although he normally expects the first bite. He stands up patiently. What is a real surprise is that Katyusha actually stood up to catch her meat. White mice are also thrown, but the Feinschmecker know better and leave these for later. As usual the performance is ended with the feast of the bread rolls and walnuts. I do not think any other Zoo can do this. I stood right next to four bear heads all gently eating nuts off their paws and could even see their eyelashes.

The time is now going very quickly. I see Knut again before I leave the Zoo.The ducks have woken him up. Do they not realise that they have provoked the most capable predator on Earth. Evidently not, as they elude him easily. A disgusted Knut returns to his seal leather and works out his energy on that.Now I have to go and do some shopping and feed. I really hope that I catchViktor this afternoon. I will let you know. I will be at the Zoo from 1400 to 1730, mainly in the Polar site.

Dunkin Donuts near Berlin Zoo Tuesday 22 April 2009 1800 local

My last afternoon and evening in Berlin lived up to expectations. I was doing some shopping and eating a Ciabatta with Bouletten in Steglitz when the heavens opened. Fortunately I was able to pop into a Toy Shop and buy another cute Polar for my collection. I rushed back to the Zoo and the weather was already getting better. Good job that I did as the young lady does Knut’s feeding promptly at 2.15 and Knut was already pacing expectantly. The routine with the Salad Lettuce changed today. Knut got his favourite Croissant thrown first. He enjoyed this with relish. Then came the lettuce, Knut caught it but then rejected it with scorn. The highlight came when Knut was thrown an enormous fish followed by along French style baguette. I then found out that the keeper tomorrow would be a different person so the lady was making sure Knut had a good time.

After the feeding I asked whether it was unusual for Katyusha to stand and catch like Lars and Knut. The lady keeper replied that Katyusha stood often but “only to look good” rather than actually catch anything. We both laughed.
I needn’t have felt guilty about Katyusha. She and Lars are still an item and spent the whole afternoon together. Later on when the Sun came out she and Lars were smooching and stretching. Nancy tried to join in but was forced to snooze nearby. Tosca is putting up with this by sleeping
well out of the way on her rock.
 

Viktor and I finally met up at Knut’s place and we watched him in his new “Capuccino colours”. Viktor has kindly taken my photo which will probably destroy his software. However, he will hopefully send it to Mervi. I think red rather than pink is probably my colour these days. Other highlights from the afternoon for me were:

Drinking a Vinillaccino from the Zoo coffee machine while watching the Kagu. This is a New Zealand bird which featured in one of the German TV films where TD and Knut are walking in the Zoo and the Kagu inflates itself to
deflect Knut’s attention from the female Kagu. It is a lovely grey plump bird with redeyes and a crest.
 
Thanks again for the nice wishes and thoughts. I hope that it helps you feel the Knute!

Ronnie H was calling in the Nasenbaern (Coatis) and they were all waiting up in the trees in their enclosure for him to open the hatches to their quarters. As soon as he did, a neat line of them ran into a hatch, tails up.

The hippo house is nearby and as I was leaving the Zoo Herr Fritzman the main keeper was coaxing the new little pygmy hippo baby out of the water and back into the house.

Well, now I am going out to a German locale with the mate of mne to have last typically Berlin meal and beer before tomorrow’s final day. Its been nice to meet so many people during the stay. I hope that you do not mind me not mentioning names, but I like to avoid missing people out by mistake. After my fifth visit to Berlin none of the excitement has faded. More tomorrow.

Berlin Zoo Dunkin Donuts Thusday 23 April 0850 local

A sad moment. The last morning of the trip. Made much
better by the fact that so many of you have enjoyed the on the spot reports.
Viktor’s pics will be good, Knut was looking really good yesterday. The weather has decided to revert to Winter this morning, with grey skies and drizzle. However, I have plenty of indoor bits of the Zoo to see as well as my usual destinations.

I owe Knut a further debt. Yesterday evening I tackled a small Eisbein
(Pork Knuckle) using the Knut method of carefully dissecting and picking
out the best bits of pork meat. I also did the same with the Sauerkraut and peas. Worked very well and was delicious. Well, that’s enough chat the big fella awaits.

My last report will be from the UK

Oxford Bus Station Thursday 23 April 2009 1925 local

First of all a big thank you to Mervi and everyone who helped with turning my stuff into the Knuti News story and especially the last picture of Knut. I will try and do this last bit in short bursts as I know that others are keen to get a seat at the Knuipe.

 When I got back after doing my last Berlin send out Knut had decided to make a serious go at destroying his seal toy. He has in fact bitten well into the main part and is using this as a lever to get into the contents. He is also determined to catch the two ducks that pose temptingly in his enclosure. Herr Roebke returned to the Knut feeding task. I think he and Knut have a clear relationship which I have noticed also with the keeper at Bremerhaven who feeds Lloyd. MR does not let Knut dominate rather Knut realises he must adopt the more submissive bear position and remain sitting to be fed. Knut, however, makes sure that he uses his paddle wave motion to make the point that food must beprovided fast and to his taste. MR also ensures that plenty of stuff is thrown where Knut can find it later. I think this is also added to later by the keeperrs to ensure that Knut has enough to do.

Like others I have my memories of Thomas Doerflein from 4 visits. I still cannot believe that he will not come round the corner before having a smoke and a chat afterwards. I think Knut knows that he is still with him in spirit. At the going down of the Sun Knut and all of us remember you Thomas.

The gang of 4 were enjoying the fact that Sun had returned to Berlin Tosca was curled up on her little island. Maybe this time her maternal instincts will help her through. She has had a tough life, but Lars still chooses her first.
Katyusha was enjoying her moment as Lars’s mistress of choice. She is large and white. Lars himself raised his head briefly and I could say goodbye to him as well. Finally, Nancy huddled up to the wallAll too brief a visit but Berlin is so easy to move around in.

The X9 bus got me to Tegel in some 20 minutes compared with the hour or so it takes to get out from London to Heathrow. Why oh Why? does Berlin want a similar monster airport at Schoenefeld. They will have to fit Knutcam to the S Bahn to make up From London the Oxford buses are also comfortable and fast. Even the traffice jam on the M25 did not matter as I went through the marvelous moments of the last few days Thank you also to everyone I met in Berlin but of course to the main Bear.

May the Knut be with you

Ralph