22.4.2010 – Photos by Doris Webb, Monika

Right after the “Löwentor” I went past the four pretty and lovely alpaca fur balls in the sun on my way to Knuti, followed by black lonesome tapir Chico. The elephants were not yet out. Busy Mr Kloes and Mr Ochs passed by at a smart pace. Only one of the two eagles in the first aviary was present. The warthogs were not yet out. At Knuti’s enclosure only three of his fast-early-morning-fans were present in the sun. What a nice and calm atmosphere! Knuti and Giovanna gave the impression to be a little bored. Knuti ran already constantly his usual distance. Giovanna made circles from the enclosure’s door, round the coated tree, and back to the door, on and on. Both avoided thoroughly getting too close to one another when they crossed their paths. However, obviously they must have been in the water already prior to the opening of the zoo, as a lot of stones were wet. Once more, it was obvious to me that Knuti has grown and most probably even since I saw him last, only one week ago. He is notably bigger than Giovanna now. Compared to him, she seemed to be even fine-boned sometimes.

Siddy had her morning nap close to ‘her’ wall, Petzi had hers nearly invisible, hidden in the rearmost edge on the turf vis-à-vis the second observation window of the brown bears’ enclosure.

The two handsome wolf girls made a voyage of discovery across the wolves’ enclosure, unbothered by the two adults. One of the boys slept under the covered observation window, the other one was invisible to me. When Pelle awoke, he went to Falco, barked at him and bowed as dogs use to do as an invitation to play. What was the meaning in this case is unknown to me. Two craftsmen appeared behind the rocks of the brown bears and started to work there at the green gratings, which was most exciting for the two female youngsters. One of them felt soon uneasy about the whole thing and disappeared in one of the dens. Falco went close to the place of action and observed the construction. Pelle slept on unaffectedly. Mrs Weckert joined the men. I believe that something was constructed that hinders the wolves from going constantly to the brown bears, respectively to make it possible to the keepers to more regulate the wolves’ excursions?

All of the six coatis were to be discovered as spread fur balls in the tops of their trees sleeping in the sun. I do love this sight! One of the Kagu was also out in the Kagus’ garden. He/she even approached me, looked at me, and went back into the background of its aviary. Strange, pretty, flightless birds with beautiful amber-coloured eyes. I like them.

Tosca and Nancy were on top of the highest rock, Katjuscha behind this rock, hidden from the main path. The three of them enjoyed an early morning sunbath nap. Mrs Weckert came for the feeding of the beautiful polar bear ladies. They caught and dived for their meat, subsequently they collected the rolls and wall nuts close in front of the observing window. They are incredibly pretty and even though they and their heads seem to be huge, seen from so near, they give the impression to be quite friendly bears. Tosca is small compared to the others and often she bears a likeness to her son. It’s so funny how she wrinkles up her nose, often when she eats, today in addition when she got something into her nose. This was just too sweet to bear. When everything was eaten, two of the bears started to play together in the water continuously for more than three quarters of an hour! Guess whom of the bears I am talking about! You won’t believe it: TOSCA and KATJUSCHA! Most of the time they dipped one another under water, alternately they had the active and inactive part. Once they played very tenderly and sometimes rather roughly. Nancy seemed also to be content all the time. She first dried herself at the rock, then climbed it, surrounded it, played on top of it with a long twiggy, which she only lost when she shook her head a little too roughly. Later she went down in order to have another sunbath nap at the rim of the rock area. She obviously was not at all jealous and even didn’t take a blind notice of what was going on in the water. When Katjuscha had left the water “Giovanna-style”! – I never have seen her as active as today!, she tried to animate Nancy to play or to cuddle. Nancy first didn’t react at all.

Katjuscha gave her a glance as if to say “Lame Duck!” (sorry Gandy!). Later Nancy pressed her paw two or three times lazily and friendly towards Katjuscha but in general stayed in her comfortable sleeping position. Katjuscha tried it from every side incessantly until Tosca came out of the water, and even risked to slip down the rocks. In vain efforts! Tosca for her part played another half an hour in the water on her own. She swam and dived across the whole water area. She found an old bone, gnawed on it and played with it. Later she found a twiggy with green leaves, which looked as ivy. She played happily with it and kept it for a long time. It reminded me the scene I witnessed approximately two years ago, when she teased Lars with a twiggy in the water by every trick in the book! I will never forget this unbelievable experience. When finally also Tosca had left the water, the three ladies spread contentedly out on the rocks, everyone in another direction. Amazing scene in those approximately two hours was: Tosca and Katjuscha were standing in the water, one pressed its paw to the other one, right paw to left paw, exactly one paw covering the other one! This looked as if it was a movie scene!

At the sea lions’ only Diego and his mother were in the water, everyone else took a sunbath on the stone plates. By coincidence I met the bearded head keeper and asked him whether the baby of Lucia was already born. I got a right ‚Berlin-charmed-answer’: “Is doch noch gar nich die Zeit!” – end of the conversation! I do have the choice now whether I got something wrong or he just didn’t like to talk. On EasterSunday I understood from Mr Zahmel that Lucia is expected to have a baby in 2 weeks, on the other hand I heard that sea lion Doro will have her first baby in June. Let’s wait and see!

When I passed their pool, the seals slipped out of their inside enclosure into their pool which looked very funny. Mandy and Hilde are still little ones and too cute! Next pool the sea bear was swimming actively around, also the blind sea bear (or sea lion?) was in his little outside enclosure.

All the six otters were very active today as well. They swam in the ditch next to the visitors and were most interested in them, even tried to climb the window and looked straight at them. Later they crowded in the left side. It was a seething mass…Lovely creatures!

The oryx and the Grevy’s-zebras as well as the common elands and the Grant’s zebras were rather calm and inactive today. Only one okapi was present, and only the ant-eater-father was out.

I crossed “Lichtensteinbrücke” towards the “Erweiterungsgelände” (extended area of the zoo!), admired the three stone bears and the wonderful sight: before crossing the bridge the “Siegessäule (victory column), which the Berliners call “Goldelse/(Joldelse)”. When having crossed the bridge don’t miss next time to turn and have a look back (please ‘not in anger’!), from where you can see far the “Gedächtniskirche” (Memorial Church) and near the beautiful white house of the Grevy’s-zebras enclosure as well as the polar bear sculpture. Left at the end of the bridge you see the pedestalled bust of “Peter Joseph Lenné” (landscape designer and urban planner, 1789-1856).

Again I wasn’t as lucky as to see the capybaras (Wasserschweine) but I saw two Chacoan maras (Pampashasen). The male Ostrich (Strauß), beautiful with black and white feathers, and two rather grey coloured female Ostrichs followed at the large meadow, as well as 5 greater kudus (striped bodies), blesbok (striped horns), springbok (black stripe from eye to nose), and 7 guinea fowls (Hausperlhühner), which gave enervating sounds. As I set a little in the sun there and read, I didn’t see it from the beginning but noticed then that the Ostrich performed the courtship display in spreading his beautiful feathers and winding his long neck around. Only when he rose, I noticed that under him was a female, consequently it was not only performance but execution

Back to Knuti’s feeding. First the brown bears got some fish, carrots, salad and apples. Knuti was white and beautiful, gave his well known lovely sight, and got his food from Mrs Weckert, who also spoiled Giovanna as she threw quite a lot of the carrots, apples and rolls in the upper part of the enclosure. Giovanna ate it with relish when she came back from her feeding, and even Knuti succeeded in getting one of those rolls. After the last bit was taken, the two lovelies started a wonderful play in the water ditch, dipped one another under water, cuddled, wrestled, even growled for a short moment but nothing serious though. Giovanna made her balancing exercises perfectly as known. They also played and competed with the green bowls. When they left the water finally, Knuti started his make-up, and next to no time he was black, only around his eyes there were the white rings and this time also left and right of the top of his snout two spots remained near white, which looked nice.

And then big surprise: Giovanna made an elegant shoo-bee-doo and the lovely movement with one paw all over head and face. Afterwards she had a pattern in her face. Giovanna with a discreet make-up is also a nice sight. I thought that was it but when I looked next at her she was completely black as Knuti was and exactly with the same white rings around her eyes. I wished somebody took a picture of them together side by side and looking straight into the camera!

Next visit was to the new outside enclosures of the great apes. What a sight IVO gave sitting in a forked branch near the visitors and looking proudly around. Three females crowded together high under the stones in the background. It seemed as if they were kind of afraid of Ivo. When he moved and went in their direction, they changed through a whole into the next section of the new enclosure. Ivo very slowly climbed up to where the females were before and followed them. Two disappeared immediately and one got away from him, set down and crossed her arms as for defence, comparable to a human not feeling quite at ease in a certain situation!

Last and very short visit was to the “Raubtierhaus” (lion house). Aketi was in the far left small cage and paced back and forth, Aru was in the cage beside her at the “Schmusegitter” (‘cuddling grill’) and gave strange sounds of being unhappy, then he came near to the visitors, set down and looked steadfastly. Amira and Paule were in the cages at the other end with a crowd of visitors in front of them. I left this at the moment inauspicious place as fast as I had entered it.

On the scale of things it was a most pleasant Berlin Zoo day!