Stories (not only) from the wildlife

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alice44
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Re: Stories from the wildlife

Post by alice44 »

this slide show http://www.bayareanewsgroup.com/multime ... index.html from the second story has very cute pictures.
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Post by Brit »

Thank you alice44! :wave:
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Post by alice44 »

I was so disappointed that the video link, links to current news rather than cute ducks. In the slide show -- slide number 6 which is the little duck making noise (it looks like a yawn to me) with its tongue visible is adorable.
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Post by Jo UK »

If we aren't too busy with eagles and black storks next March, perhaps we can find that webcam and watch geese.
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The three from the ice floe
When polar bears are looking to deep into the barrel

Ursus maritimus is a loner. His territory is about 100 square kilometres wide. Other polar bears are rivals and are not tolerated. This is what every school child learns in Canada. But its well known, that polar bears cannot read nor are they visiting a school. And so Jack, Jim and Jona don´t know what´s written about them in school books. This might be good. Because these three polar bears are a little bit different. Their territory consists of a little coastal area on the island of Baffin in the north of Canada. The three friends don´t have much in mind with hunting. The suspicion could be possible, that they feel the hunting of agile seals is too troublesome in order to make their living. Their metier is the theatre. Is a ship coming near Jack first appears on the scene ( an ice floe). He is sucking his stomach and looks half starved. Obvious with the last of his strength and big gestures he is helping his conspecifics, who yowl pitiful, onto the ice. Even hardened fishermen can´t be insensible to that and spend parts of their catch.

But one day the bears are gone. Since days no sign of life. The Inuitfishermal Sam Inock drove far out to the Labrador See.200 sea miles away from the coast he discovers them: 3 pictures of misery on an ice floe not bigger than a tennis place. As Sam comes closer, he recognizes, that there really are Jack, Jim and Jona. And it seems they recognize Sam too. They jump up and race to and fro,- just as they want to give a sign. Of course polar bears are excellent swimmers, but 200 sea miles are also impossible for them to cope with. And because Sam has a good heart he hangs the ice floe and its crew on his boat and chugs homeward.

In the movie it would be blanked out by now. But this story has an epilog. As Sam is telling his adventure in the pub of Iqualuit he is ending with “I just don´t understand why this three were so dump to make so much leeway?” “I think I can elucidate this” the host says. Curious silence. “Four weeks ago someone burgled my store”. Silence. „And what was missing?“ „One barrel of beer the gang drank and all I found were paw prints from three polar bears….”

Jutta Junge

English translation by Brit
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Post by Kuremari »

:D :rotf:
oh dear, oh dear!
thank you Brit for translating these marvellous stories for us....
what a boring place Earth would be, if the animals and birds really could read :faint: and would act only strictly according to their instincts :rolleyes: :D
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Post by Brit »

Everything for the cat
The story of an unusual friendship




Purring the little cat is curling up between two huge paws. She jumps and romps around – and the visitors of the Berlin Zoo hold their breath. Because the animal, with whom the cat plays, is an adult moon bear. 500 kg of weight armed with paws which could kill with one stroke. But Muschi is not scared. The bearess is her very best friend. And for this friendship she has fought with all her power…..



“I considered everything” Heiner Klös from the Berlin zoo (where also Knut is living, now together with Gianna from Munich zoo) board of management said: he wants to build a collective enclosure for wolfs and bears. And really – the man thought about everything. Only not about Muschi:” the little strayer showed up in the year 2000” Klös says. „ And it was rather strange: she of all things choose the bears rock – together with Mäuschen, the moon bear.” From this time on the cat is bringing her catch which was achieved with much effort, to her new friend. Mäuschen protects her from the other bears, is cleaning her fur by licking when she was in the rain, and there is nothing in this world which can apart them. Until the very day when Mäuschen had to move in an inside enclosure, because of construction work. “We actually thought Muschi would move on now” Heiner Klös tells. But already on the first day the cat strayed desperately around the zoo. “She was looking in every enclosure” Klös says. “She was screaming and mewled and just didn´t give up”. For five weeks Muschi was looking for her friend – than the man made a decision: he let the door to Mäuschens enclosure open – and so as they never had been departed the cat is rushing to the bearess throwing herself between her paws and for the first time since long she is sleeping cuddling very tight on Mäuschen, through the whole night.

Since than no cat is disturbing the construction works – and that fits very well, because the men got an additional job to do: ”Muschi and Mäuschen get an enclosure all for themselves” Heiner Klös says “in the community enclosure together with the wolves the cat cannot move” Until this happens both will live in the inside enclosure and a sign explains to the visitors that Mäuschen and Muschi always meet each other with “attention and cautiousness“ a sentence which is actually not worth to mention. Not at all among real friends…..

Dorothee Teves

English translation by Brit
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Post by macdoum »

Thank for another story Brit....
and I recognise the keeper who helped to raise Knut. :D I have seen him in a TV documentary about Knut.
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Post by macdoum »

Jo UK wrote:If we aren't too busy with eagles and black storks next March, perhaps we can find that webcam and watch geese.
Yipes !! :mrgreen: would we be driven to those extremes. :shock: I saw those every day when I was growing-up (a while ago :rolleyes: )
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Post by Brit »

macdoum wrote: and I recognise the keeper who helped to raise Knut. :D I have seen him in a TV documentary about Knut.
Right you are Macdoum! And how much Thomas Dörflein (T.D.) is missed!

Knut is now a "big boy" (but not yet "adult", this will take another few years), will be 3 years old on Saturday. For the moment a female polarbear from Munich (the change their enclosure there) is with him, Gianna" and after quite some time Knut finally trusts her and they are playing together very nicely. If you are interested, here are always lots of photos from the two and some texts are even in English language:

Knut and Gianna
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Post by alice44 »

oh those pictures are nice -- especially as I have only seen pictures of knut as a cute little bit of a thing.
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Post by Brit »

In Hartmuth´s forum (the link I gave before) are many Knut friends. They are even going to meet on Knuts birthday on the 5th of December there in the Zoo of Berlin in front of Knuts enclosure. And they are coming from many different countries! Also from the US!

And Mervi, 'A Finn living in Sweden' is also coming. On her HP is 'lots of Knut' written in English and German language. For example very touching about Knuts grandma Lisa 1977-2009 who was put asleep last week.
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Post by Brit »

Miracle in the snow
About the most southern polar bear mother in the world




“Greta is crazy” the Indians at the Canadian Hudson Bay are saying. A normal polar bear is jumping while hunting with all fours onto the seals caves that they collapse and than so to say the meal is served. Greta is hunting differently. She is standing up on her rear legs let herself fall backwards into the snow, turns fast as lightning round and grabs her prey. Ranger Morris is shaking his head. “Greta is with this practise more successful than any of her fellows, who hunt the seals in the usual manner.”

As Greta is in autumn getting pregnant she suddenly is disappeared from the hunting grounds of the white giants. She is migrating towards inland. One day, two days, three days. For round about 70 km. „She wants to be out of reach of hungry male polar bears. But that far in the south the babies cannot survive” the ranger says. Because for that the polar bear kids need snow. Lots of snow. Only a 60 cm coat gives enough protection from the storms in winter when the temperatures fall down to 50°: But here in the southwest of Hudson Bay less snow than in Munich or Innsbruck is falling in the meantime. “The youngster will under this only 15 cm coating just freeze to death.”

But despite that, Greta is coming here. Obviously against all logic of nature. She is digging a cave, an earth cave, hardly big enough to cover her 500 kg body. Then comes the winter. And the Indian rangers don´t trust their own eyes. Just above Gretas cave the storms heap up an enormous snowbank – 75 cm high, thick like a white fur coat. “Greta must have chosen this place by an instinct far beyond our meteorological knowledge“, Morris filled with wonder. Shortly after Christmas something is moving in the snow. Greta is digging herself out of the cave and squints against the sun. She is alive. And then? Really a little black polar bear snout trips behind her. Then a second one and a third one. Triplet births are very seldom with polar bears. And that far in the south it´s a biological miracle. But the Indians are sceptical. They don´t give names to any of the polar bear youngsters. “They won´t survive anyhow because of the long way back to the hunting grounds.”

In the following summer a fisherman tells about an extraordinary observation. On the Bay he discovered three strong polar bear youngsters, whose mother went for hunting. But instead of playfully jumping with all fours onto the snowhill, all three let themselves fall backwards and turning round as fast as lightning. “I have never seen anything like that. These three guys – they must be completely crazy.”

J.M.

English translation by Brit
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Happy End for the white giants
As the heart of a sheriff became very soft

Sheriff Steve Kurtz had Chubby and Claris already since days under his observation – these two polar bears went every night and enjoyed digging around in garbage bins. But when Chubby with his plump bottom rammed the shop window of the butchery and wanted to help himself with all the goodies there - it bangs! It was the shot out of Steves narcosis gun. Claris took his heels and the anesthetized Chubby is landing straightway in the bear prison!

This fate threatens nearly every third polar bear in Churchill. When in autumn about 1500 of this white giants approach its like the declaration a state of siege – the little Canadian town is directly located on the ancient migration route of the polar bears. Because the muscleheads in case of doubt also think bipeds eatable, Steves polar bear police troup know no mercy. Like in Chubby`s case who was flown the next day by helicopter far away from Churchill into the desert to be released to freedom…. Just back Steve recognizes Claris sitting in front of the polar bear prison. With siren's wailing he fightened her away. Next day she is back again – again he is chasing her away. One week long. Than Steve realizes: “She is waiting for Chubby!”



So much bear love melts Steves heart – and he had an idea: next day he is sending the longing Claris into the dreamland with his narcotic gun. In a net dangling under the helicopter he is flying Claris exactly to the point where he released Chubby. Steve knows that the chances for a rendevouz are little – but he anyhow is waiting and looking with his field glasses around the endless Tundra. Suddenly far away he recognized a polar bear who is coming at a quick pace directly to the just awaking Claris. Fascinated Steve is watching through his field glasses – and doesn´t believe his own eyes. It is Chubby! What takes place minutes later between Claris and Chubby moves the polar bear sheriff to tears:” Never I will forget the tender embracements and the happiness of this two loving white giants….!”

Georg Barthel

English translation by Brit
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Post by alice44 »

:loveshower:
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Post by Brit »

The miracle in the Arctic
The last 22.000 polar bears are battling for their life


“We located a polar bear.” The voice of the pilot dins over the radio: “John it is a female – she has two cubs with her. They are drifting on a big ice floe in the direction to the open sea.” About 200 km away in a little office in the Canadian Arctic John Braxley closes his eyes: two cubs. The scientist is shaking his head. He knows: even before the autumn is coming the cubs will be dead.

Since three years John Braxley examines the effects of climate warm up. “When I first came here”, he says, “I wanted to act professional. Scientifically and with distance. Than I met the first polar bear in my life – and I knew from this very moment, that my heart would decide”. The polar bear, Braxley observes on this day, is dragging himself with the last of his strength over the ice blearly eyed because of hunger. “I saw the king of the Arctic – and he was close to death” the scientist says. He learns – that what he thought was the disaster of the future – the global warming – was already every days life for the polar bears: ”the temperature rised by 5° - the pack ice is melting. The animals are carried away on the ice floes are marooned from their hunting grounds. That´s why they cannot eat enough fat on storage – and die miserably”. Practically over night the polar bears became an endangered species – not even half of the newborns survives today the first winter. Maybe this is the point which lets Braxley act: ”She has two cubs” he thinks. “two cubs whose life should be not for nothing.” He knows that the animals can´t swim back by them selves and cannot be transported by helicopter. But how about transporting the ice floe itself…..?

Three day later a small airplane is landing on the edge of the Canadian Arctic. On his fuselage there is fixed an adventures construction of steel, whose ends are anchored deep in an ice floe. A melting ice floe which was pulled for 320 km back to the land. On it, languished because of the anesthesia shots, 3 polar bears. The first rescue operation of this kind. A crazy maneuver, which shows to the whole world within one moment the struggle for survival of the polar bears.

Dorothee Teves

English translation by Brit
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Post by kittenface »

Brit
I just love getting on the forum to see that you have posted more of your fantastic stories
Thank you so very much
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Post by Brit »

Thank you, kittenface! I am very happy, that you like the stories too!
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Post by Brit »

The dream of freedom
A glimmer of hope for Indian dancing bears


Emotionsless the man examined the jute sack, which the old gypsy threw careless on the bed. “How many?” he asked and lit a cigar butt. Instead of an answer he heard the thud click of the opening blade of a knife – and the horrified whimper of a bear cub, which the old man drags out of the sack. “You ask how many of these I got here?” the gypsy whispers. “And I – I ask if I can trust you.” Without averting his gaze he starts to strike around the snout of the petrified bear with the blade. I killed his mother. If you are a traitor I shall kill you too. And your family. And your friends…..“ This scene took less than 3 minutes. It was filmed with a hidden camera in a sleazy hotel in Indian Sambalpur. And the man who filmed – the man with the cigar butt – was riscing his life for that. His name is Kartick Satyanarayan. During eight month he wormed his way in the highest society of dancing bear mafia – a mafia who feared nothing and no one, “These people are killing 130 bear mothers a year to sell off their cubs for a converted € 90 to the Kalendar tribe” he says. “and there the youngsters have to go through hell”. At the age of 4 month their teeth are knocked out to keep them to heel – the dancing steps they learn later by putting them on fiery sheet metal. By raising their paws the little ones try to protect themselves – and while their leader is always playing the same melody to the torture, they learn to combine music with their pain….. “When I was a child I once experienced that a dancing bear opposed against his leader”, Kartick says “ he stood on his back legs and screamed. But it was a teethless scream and the man only laughed. He had broken body and soul of this animal.”

“From this very moment I knew, that I had to help these bears”. He chose the most unusual way: instead to make theoretical discussions at symposiums he rather goes undercover armed only with a little camera. His films are overflowing the police stations and offices of politicians. They compel to action. With success: One month ago the highest court of the country brought charges against this gypsy whom Kartick filmed in Sambalpur. Life imprisonment threatens. The first which was imposed in India because of poaching and animal trade.

by Dorothee Tewes

English translation by Brit
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Post by kittenface »

Just terrible just so sad
And thank god for such people that risk all to help
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