Animals
Lioness and cow – the summer slump and its animal stars
The cow Yvonne fled from the butcher. photo
© Andreas Gebert/dpa
They are in the forest, in the bathing lake or in the stairwell: animals regularly make the headlines in summer. Who remembers Alligator Sammy, Catfish Kuno and Cow Yvonne?
When the holiday break settles over the country, politics and sports leagues allow themselves a break, they crawl out of the Summer slump: the animals! It is not uncommon for their fate to move the entire nation for weeks. Which animal stars have caused a stir in recent years:
Berlin Lioness (2023)
A free-roaming cat is said to have been sighted in Berlin and Brandenburg. A cell phone video lasting just a few seconds shows the alleged lioness between bushes and trees. Dozens of police officers, supported by hunters and veterinarians, searched for the big cat for more than 30 hours. At first there is no trace. Then the all clear: The supposed lioness is probably just a wild boar.
The Laptop Pig (2020)
Half the world laughs at the photos of Berlin’s Teufelssee. A naked man runs after a wild boar that has stolen his yellow bag. A laptop is said to have been inside.
The Monocled Cobra (2019)
In a stairwell in Herne, North Rhine-Westphalia, a resident discovers a venomous snake, a monocled cobra. The cobra, which is around 1.60 meters long, hid in the block for almost a week in August. 30 residents have to leave their homes. 21 more snakes are discovered at the alleged owner. The cobra is finally startled while mowing behind the house and caught again.
Kangaroo Skippy (2015)
A marsupial hops all over the Sauerland until it is finally stopped by a pasture fence at Diemelsee in northern Hesse. Kangaroo Skippy finds a new home with a breeder family.
Cow Yvonne (2011)
Her escape from the butcher made her an international media star in 2011. The cattle piled high in the Upper Bavarian forest and resisted all attempts to catch it for months. Only after a shot from the tranquilizer gun can Yvonne be taken to an animal sanctuary.
Bear Bruno (2006)
Immigrated from Austria, he roams through the Bavarian forests. When the brown bear wants to capture sheep, it comes too close to settlements – and is released to be shot. His description as a “problem bear” by the then Bavarian Prime Minister Edmund Stoiber became a dictum. Animal rights activists are up in arms. In vain. Hunters kill Bruno. His fate made it into the New York Times.
Swan Petra (2006)
What a weird bird! On Lake Aasee in Münster, a black swan lady causes a stir with a very special love story. Petra’s chosen one: a pedal boat in the shape of a swan, which she won’t leave for weeks. But there is still a happy ending: in a nursing station, Petra finally finds a partner who suits her better.
Catfish Kuno (2001)
The story of “Killer-Wels Kuno” from Mönchengladbach shocks dog lovers. The giant fish is said to have dragged a dachshund puppy from the bank of a pond into the water and devoured it. Whether that actually happened remains unclear. Nevertheless, the story goes around the world. Many anglers try to catch the catfish. Vain. When a 1.50 meter catfish was found dead in the lake two years later, the suspected Kuno was stuffed and exhibited in the museum.
Alligator Sammy (1994)
An escaped spectacled caiman becomes Germany’s most popular reptile. His then owner takes Sammy on a trip to a quarry pond near Dormagen (near Düsseldorf). The animal takes the opportunity, breaks free of its leash and disappears. His escape kept the police, fire brigade and media in suspense for days. For fear of the 80 centimeter long alligator, the bathing lake is closed for days. The starving animal is finally caught – and ends up in the zoo.
The Whale Moby Dick (1966)
In May 1966, the crew of a tanker radioed the water police in Duisburg to the almost unbelievable: a white whale was sighted in the Rhine. At first the police thought the men on board were drunk. But then the officials also discover the bright and about four meter long beluga in the murky Rhine. The sensation is perfect. The animals, also known as beluga whales, are actually at home in arctic and subarctic waters. “Moby Dick”, as the whale is called after the novel of the same name, electrifies people between Duisburg and Bonn. After about a month and several U-turns, “Moby Dick” is still successfully swimming towards the sea. In mid-June he reached the North Sea.