Petra (swan)

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Petra and her pedal boat in the summer of 2006

Petra is a mourning swan on Lake Aasee in Münster , Westphalia , which attracted worldwide attention from 2006 to 2008 due to its affection for larger-than-life white pedal boats in the shape of a swan. Petra disappeared in 2009 but reappeared in April 2013.

history

The swan appeared on the Aasee at the beginning of May 2006, the origin is unclear. The swan, which quickly became known in Münster as "Black Peter", named after Peter Overschmidt, the owner of the pedal boat, stayed near a larger than life white pedal boat that a yacht school rents out by the hour. The swan responded to initial approaches with threatening gestures, which, according to behavioral biologists, indicated the swan's attachment to the pedal boat and a defense of the breeding ground. In the months that followed, the swan never left the side of the pedal boat and swam after it even when it was rented. In winter, however, the pedal boat had to be taken from Lake Aasee to avoid frost damage. In several stations it was therefore towed with the mourning swan in the direction of the Allwetterzoo Münster and on November 9, 2006 both were finally deposited on a pond in the zoo. Two weeks earlier, a DNA analysis of a feather had shown that the swan was a female, whereupon the nickname “Petra” established itself. Due to a foot injury, the swan and the pedal boat were relocated to the empty pelican house at the end of November. Both stayed there until March 2007. The last attempt had been made to bring Petra together with other black swans in the zoo, but this failed.

On March 29, 2007 both were finally brought back to the Aasee, where Petra did not leave her swan for the whole summer. For the winter of 2007/2008 it was originally planned to accommodate the pedal boat on the newly designed Aaseeterrassen. However, since construction was delayed, the zoo again served as winter quarters from December 5, 2007. During this time Petra tolerated a live swan next to her for the first time. An early December 2007 been submerged white mute swan that Paul was called, billed on the Zooteich regularly with the black Black Swan. So the relationship between Petra and the pedal boat lasted a total of about two years. But the new relationship is not internal to the species either, since both swans belong to different species. Such inter-species relationships are not uncommon in birds.

The liaison did not last long, however. On March 22nd, 2008 Paul left Petra in the winter quarters and moved to another nearby pond after the pedal boat had been towed back to the Aasee a week earlier. In autumn 2008 Petra appeared several times at Hiltruper See .

In the previous winters, Petra had been housed in the winter quarters at the zoo. A hut near the Aa lake was built for Petra for the winter of 2008. Petra was last seen at Lake Aasee on December 31, 2008. In 2009, Petra did not appear on the lake. As a result, indications of the swan's whereabouts were reported from all over Germany. More than 60 photos of black swans were sent to the “Black Petra” group of friends, which should be about Petra. However, it could be ruled out that it was Petra, since the Münster swan had an ossified left foot.

This ossified foot led to identification by the Münster zoo director Jörg Adler in a stork care station in Osnabrück on April 5, 2013 . An employee of the Westphalian News had given the notice. On January 2, 2009, the swan, suffering from malnutrition and high fever, who had suffered numerous abrasions, was found on a dirt road in Glandorf and returned to the station. After several months of continuous care, the swan, who was brought in with a weight of just 3.18 kg instead of the usual 5.2 kg, recovered. She made friends with a swan that had been handed over to the station shortly before she arrived and has since become her constant companion. Station manager Wolfgang Herkt gave the swan two swan eggs to incubate, which the foster mother successfully hatched. During his visit to the stork care station in Osnabrück, zoo director Jörg Adler spoke to the station manager there, Wolfgang Herkt, about the plan to be able to transfer Petra and her partner to Münster as an ambassador for bird protection. This was rejected by Herkt. Contrary to reports to the contrary, there was no offer to buy Adler.

media

reporting

The reporting on Petra began in May 2006 with an article distributed by the German press agency . During the summer, several German television stations reported on the romance, which ultimately attracted Japanese and US television as well as numerous international newspapers and magazines. Even years later, the zoo management received inquiries from the USA for photo material. In English-speaking countries, black swans are a metaphor for an unlikely but possible event, which also fueled the hype. According to the zoo management, there were also fans in China. The move to the zoo was filmed by Reuters TV at the beginning of the resettlement . On November 9, 2006, when both were brought to the zoo, representatives from 23 media outlets appeared, including several camera teams, photographers and editors from major magazines and various press agencies. Not least because of the media coverage, the number of visitors to the zoo rose to over a million for the first time since the dolphinarium opened in 1974.

The way back to Lake Aasee in March 2007 was also accompanied in detail by media representatives.

On January 1, 2008, WDR broadcast a documentary about Petra under the title Neues vom Verliebten Schwan , which deals with the second year of the unequal relationship.

Novels

Several novels have been published since 2006, including two children's books that deal with the life of Petra.

The author Friedrich Ani published the book Mathilda and Giacomo in October , which is based on the story of the swan Petra and has some similarities with the story of the Münster swan. Ani called the swan Mathilda, the pedal boat was named Giacomo after Giacomo Casanova and the zoo director is called Falcke. The plot was moved to the Kleinhesseloher See in the English Garden in Munich , in the immediate vicinity of which the author lives. a. caused displeasure with Jörg Adler, the director of the Allwetterzoo Münster . In the happy ending alone , the narrative deviates from the actual story of Petra.

Trivia

The motion that the UWG-MS / ödp parliamentary group introduced to the Münster City Council on December 13, 2006 seemed rather curious. He asked the council to let the city administration check whether a black swan could be included in the coat of arms of the city of Münster . After a brief discussion, the application was withdrawn.

A CD was produced with a specially composed swan ballad as well as diamond rings and key rings in the shape of a swan. In addition, at the beginning of October 2008 a group of friends called “Black Petra” was founded.

In the crime scene: Swan Lake , Boerne tries to use this story to prevent an erotomaniac perpetrator from committing a homicide.

literature

  • Helke Schulze Mönking (author), Karin Berlin (illustrator): Schwanerei . A photo Swany documentation. Dinghai, Münster 2007, ISBN 978-3-00-022458-4 .
  • Friedrich Ani (author), Quint Buchholz (illustrator): Mathilda and Giacomo . Droemer Knaur- Verlag, Munich 2012, ISBN 978-3-426-19954-1 .

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ ORF : In love with pedal boats: swan "Petra" reappeared , April 7, 2013
  2. ↑ a b c d e f g h i Westfälische Nachrichten : New luck for the mourning swan: Animal appeared in Osnabrück's stork care station / Zoo director: Many matches with Petra , Westphalia, Münster, Julia Gottschick, April 6, 2013
    Westfälische Nachrichten : Happy ending for famous swan: animal appeared in Osnabrück bird care station , Münster, Julia Gottschick, April 6, 2013
  3. ↑ Westfälische Nachrichten : dpa report  ( page no longer available , search in web archives )  Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. , May 27, 2006@1@ 2Template: Toter Link / westline.de  
  4. ^ Münstersche Zeitung : Petra gives her pedal boat the run pass ( Memento from December 11, 2008 in the Internet Archive ), Münster, Tobias Großekemper, December 13, 2007
  5. ↑ a b c d Westfälische Nachrichten : Swan Petra comes on television , Nachrichten Münster, Münster, December 28, 2007
  6. ↑ Hello Münster, March 26, 2008
  7. ^ Münstersche Zeitung : Swan Petra back on the Aasee ( Memento from May 23, 2013 in the Internet Archive ), Münster, Oliver Koch, March 28, 2008
  8. ↑ Westfälische Nachrichten : When Petra ran across the water: Vacation at Hiltruper See in autumn 2008 , Münster / surroundings, Münster-Hiltrup, Michael Grottendieck, April 10, 2013
  9. ↑ a b c Münstersche Zeitung : Petra is a star - is she out now? , Münster, Tobias Großekemper, January 25, 2009
  10. ↑ a b c Munster newspaper . Swan Petra continued to disappear: Circle of friends stops searching , Münster, dpa , February 16, 2009
  11. ^ A b c Westfälische Nachrichten : Swan "Petra": Not a hot trace , Nachrichten Münster, Münster, January 30, 2009
  12. ↑ a b c Westfälische Nachrichten : The riddle seems to be solved: Famous mourning swine Petra lives in Osnabrück , front page, April 6, 2003
  13. ↑ Westfälische Nachrichten : Münster's mourning swine is not coming back - the symbol of hearts remains in Osnabrück: Wolfgang Herkt wants to keep Petra and her partner , Westphalia, Münster / Osnabrück, Julia Gottschick, April 8, 2013
    Westfälische Nachrichten: Mourning swine Petra: The symbol of hearts remains: Osnabrück wants to keep Petra , Münster / Osnabrück, Julia Gottschick, April 7, 2013
  14. ^ Münstersche Zeitung : Love in Osnabrück: Mourning Swan Petra lives and loves a swan man ( memento from November 9, 2013 in the Internet Archive ), Münster, Ulrich Breulmann, April 6, 2008
  15. ↑ Münstersche Zeitung : No return planned: Mourning swan Petra should stay in Osnabrück ( Memento from April 10, 2013 in the Internet Archive ), Münster, Helmut Etzkorn, April 8, 2013
  16. ↑ a b c Westfälische Nachrichten : Criticism of the alienation of the animal love story: Münster's swan Petra becomes Mathilde from Munich , Münster / Munich, mlu / pd, January 15, 2013
  17. ^ Westfälische Nachrichten : Schwanen-Love-Story repackaged , title page, Münster, January 16, 2013
  18. ↑ a b c d Westfälische Nachrichten : Relocated Love Story: New book relocates Schwanen-Romance with a pedal boat to Munich - but why? , Münsterischer Anzeiger, Münster, Karin Völker, January 16, 2013
  19. ↑ a b c Münstersche Zeitung : Verlag verfremdet Geschichte: Zoo director is annoyed about the romance around Swan Petra ( Memento from May 15, 2013 in the Internet Archive ), Münster, Stefan Bergmann and Petra-Fan, January 15, 2013
    Münstersche Zeitung : Schwan Petra and Plagiarism: A publisher copies the Petra romance , Münster, Münster, Stefan Bergmann, Petra fan, January 16, 2013
  20. ^ Münstersche Zeitung : Die stolen Schwan-Romance , front page / Im Lokalen, Münster, January 16, 2013
  21. ↑ stadt-muenster.de: Minutes of the 19th meeting (public part) of the Münster City Council, page 48 (PDF; 149 kB), December 13, 2006

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