Obituary Juppi
A little hero from the tropical rainforest
The shock was profound when Juppi was found lifeless in his tree nest a few days ago. The little honey bear already made history when he was taken in 14 years ago. In a way, Juppi is and remains a memorial to the appalling smuggling of exotic animals, which continues to bring animals from all over the world to Europe illegally.
In August 2010, police officers discovered a supposedly injured, exhausted cat at Munich Airport. This cat turned out to be a honey bear. Two large, round eyes looked at her, desperate and frightened. Juppi was injured, frightened and emaciated and was immediately taken to a veterinary clinic in Munich. Juppi's right front paw had to be amputated. The doctors fought for Juppi's life, and all their efforts were worthwhile.
Why could Juppi's front paw no longer be saved? Before exotic animals are transported, they are sedated and, if necessary, restrained. Juppi probably wanted to get rid of this restraint and injured himself in the process. When the person to whom Juppi was handed over at the airport realized what had happened to the Hongi bear, he no longer wanted him and simply abandoned him at Munich airport.
The smuggling of exotic animals is still booming. Snakes, tortoises, parrots, cubs and many others land at European airports every year. There are incredible hiding places that are devised to get the animals across borders. Smuggling exotic animals is strictly forbidden, but many people make an awful lot of money from it. The Washington Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora specifies exactly which species may not be traded. The ban by the way bags made from snakeskin, jewelry made from ivory, instruments made from turtle shells, etc.
The animal clinic tried to sell Juppi to a zoo and also to private individuals, but there was no interest in the little exotic animal with the round eyes. So Gut Aiderbichl was contacted and Juppi became our new guest for life.
In the grounds of Gut Aiderbichl Gänserndorf, Juppi was given his own large enclosure, which was specially built and furnished for Juppi's needs. Honey bears need a lot of space, and the living environment must also provide warmth in winter, as the honey bear comes from northern South America and Central America. There, the bear is a nocturnal tree dweller and swings from tree to tree with its prehensile tail, which it wraps around the branches, until it eventually falls asleep in its tree nest.
Juppi learned to live with his disability. He used the entire interior of the enclosure and was also an excellent climber with his three little legs. Honey bears prefer to move around in the branches and rarely climb to the ground voluntarily. Juppi spent a lot of time in his wooden wool nest or, in the fall, in his leaf nest, where he would curl up before falling asleep. When Juppi slept, you would discover him curled up with his paws protectively placed in front of his eyes.
Juppi gave the animal keepers in Gänserndorf a lot of pleasure, especially because he had overcome his fear of people over the years. He felt secure in his large enclosure, safe and loved by his keepers. They fulfilled his every wish: sweet, exotic fruits and sweet honey are the honey bear's favorite food. Pre-stretched vegetables are not even ignored - a honey bear can happily do without them.
Juppi, we hope, enjoyed his time. He came from another country until he was found by the Munich police. He has now arrived in a country where he can meet many of his own kind and do his climbing exercises with them in the trees. It has now become very quiet in Juppi's enclosure in Gänserndorf.
Our task must be to liberate ourselves by spreading our compassion widely to embrace all living beings and all of nature and its beauty.
- Albert Einstein
Dear Juppi,
We could not make up for what was done to you so many years ago. Over the last few years, you have made us feel that animals are great at forgiving and forgiving.
You also taught us that the greatest diplomats in the world do not speak human language, but animal language, whatever that may be.
Your enclosure may be empty and quiet, but if we close our eyes and prick up our ears, we can hear you climbing. We will never stop telling you about the fates of the animals. Take care, dear Juppi.
