Berliner Bärenfreunde e.V.

Flyer 2010 der Berliner Bärenfreunde (english)


Our Berlin City Bears
In the Bear Pit
At Koellnischen Park

Historical site of the Berlin Bear

Information of „Berliner Bärenfreunde e.V.“
(May 2010)

www.berliner-baerenfreunde.de

What you should know about the city bears of Berlin

  • Since the 22nd of March in 1280 is the oldest heraldic of bear known as the beginning of the “Berlin-Tradition of Berlin”.
  • On August the 17th in 1939 the bear pit at Köllnischen Park was inaugurated ceremoniously. Four bears (Jule, Lotte, Urs and Vreni) moved in as the first “Berlin Bears of City”.
  • The pit of bears is more a zoological than a historic institution. As tradition site of the Berlin heraldic animal you admired here for many years the bears`s tradition of our city.
  • Our animals are European brown bears. They are omnivorously – mainly vegetarian. Their life expectancy is about 35-40 years.
  • There is always an acting Berlin city bear that serves as the official Berlin bear.
  • With exception of Lotte, the city bears had shot during the last weeks of the Second World-War. Lotte was moved from the damaged bear pit to the Berlin Zoo and has lived there until the year 1971.
  • At November the 27th in 1949 was reopened this pit again. The bears Nante and Jette (a present of the world famous bear pit in Bern) were the new inhabitants.
  • They established a family and 33 authenic Berlin bears-children were born. Nante was the 2nd City Bear of Berlin.
  • After the death of Nante in 1979, Taps (the brother of the today still living bear Schnute) became in 1981 the third acting bear of city. Both of them were born on the 18th of January in 1981 in Staßfurt.
  • Taps and Schnute produced Maxi, born on January the 14th in 1986 and you can still see her today in the bear pit. Taps diet after a complicated long illness on May in 1990.
  • The fourth official city bear, Tilo, came to Berlin from Bischofswerda (was born on January the 8th in 1990) to Schnute and Maxi at the age of 8 months.
  • In 1994 Tilo and Schnute have got three babies (tripples) – Atze, Piefke, Rieke – and with Maxi twins (Alex and Bärolina), who were given away on account of the lack of space. Atze, Rieke and Bärolina live in the zoo of Buenos Aires, the capital of Argentina; Alex and Piefke live in Cabareno (Spain).
  • There will be no further addition to the family. Tilo has lost the potency (medicine intervention), because young bears are not to situate in that equipped pit.
  • Altogether, 55 bears have lived at this site, under them 47 bears were born here.
  • Tilo died after a serious illness on April the 12th in 2007.
  • For many years Tilo, Schnute and Maxi are looked after lovingly by their caretakers: Mrs. Brigitte Kutzner and Mrs. Marlis Gnad.

Since the 14th of May in 2007 Schnute is the first she-bear
as the official “City-Bear”

  • About one-hundred thousand visitors come yearly to this pit of the “Berlin City-Bear”. The borough Berlin-Mitte is liable for this site and bears. Our City-Bears are grateful for donations, which are used for their servicing. Donations may be put in the marked box to the left of the entrance.

The Berlin bears introduce themselves

  • I am Schnute. I was born on January the 18th in 1981. I`m 29 years old and I represent 730 years of bear tradition in Berlin.
  • We live in the 21st century and have a woman chancellor. Why not a female “City Bear” as well?
  • On May the 14th in 2007 I was appointed as the first female city bear by the Borough of Berlin-Mitte and the friends of the Berlin Bears. Not only is this in keeping with the times, but it is also a triumph for all women.
  • I am already 29 years old and have presented the city 12 bear cubs. My coat is darker than Maxi’s.
  • We are happy to have many visitors. I like to take bath in my little pool, but I also have fun in the moat. Sometimes I even find small treat in the water.
  • When I lie on my back in the open space, my stomach is full and I am content. But when the motion of my ears point that I am always wakeful. After our midday feeding Maxi and I lie on our four coats for a quick nap.
  • In the winter we bears relax and sleep a lot. We don`t eat very much, because we have stored an extra layer of fat for the winter months. During this season, there is very little food for us in the natural world. From April to the mid of October, however, we are frisky and active again and we have appetite for fresh fruits and vegetables.

I am Maxi, the daughter of Schnute and I am 24 years old. Sometimes I am bitchy and give my mother a hard time. But I really like my two caretakers Mrs. Brigitte Kutzner and Mrs. Marlis Gnad. They give me yummy bear treats. I am still very playful and I like also to take a bath in the moat. Sometimes I am looking for some hidden feed. I can back out in the house all the time with my mother Schnute if I like.

An honour for the fourth city bear Tilo 1990-2007

Tilo is part of the “Plusbrief Individuell” at the test period in January 2008

Ehrung für den verstorbenen Stadtbären Tilo

Feel free to order that cover for 5 Euro (with or without address).
You can ship it to recipients in the area of Germany. The stamp is already included.

Download the Flyer 2010 as PDF (267 KB)