Snuffling and panting, the NDR mascot "Antje" swam his way into the hearts of the viewers. On July 17, 2003, the walrus lady died of old age at the age of 27.
Weighing 750 kilos, tusks as long as your arm and still cute to cuddle:That's how the walrus "Antje", NDR trademark and darling of the public at Hamburg's Tierpark Hagenbeck, is remembered.
From the Arctic Ocean to Hamburg
"Antje's" long walrus life probably begins on May 25, 1976 in the Arctic Ocean off Russia. There she is later caught by fishermen. At the age of six months, she came to Hagenbeck Zoo via Moscow, where she was given the name "Antje". It's no coincidence, according to former zoo boss Claus Hagenbeck:"My sister Antje was very smart as a six-year-old girl. The little walrus reminded us of her back then." Animal keeper Heino Susott feeds "Antje" with baby food made from fish, cod liver oil and cream - and she soon accepts her as a surrogate mother. For 22 years, until his retirement in 1998, Susott took care of "Antje". He regularly spends New Year's Eve with her and distracts her from the banging with music.
"'Antje' made wonderful jokes"
Susott discovered the show talent of the walrus lady early on. He lets them blow a harmonica when they are fed - to the delight of the zoo visitors. The then chief designer of the NDR, Ivar Radovitz, is enthusiastic about the young walrus lady when he visits her in Hagenbeck in 1978. The zoo is right next to the NDR broadcasting station in Lokstedt. "'Antje' made wonderful jokes," he later recalled. "I then went to the then program director and pantomimed him how 'Antje' moved there in the pool. He in turn demonstrated it to the director." Shortly thereafter, Radovitz receives permission to visit the walrus again, accompanied by a cameraman - the first intermission film with "Antje" is made.
When the children called her, "Antje" swam up
"Antje" was always happy to have visitors. "In the morning she always waited for the first visitors to the zoo," her keeper once recalled.It is the starting signal for "Antje's" career as a television star. Soon she is regularly making her tracks for the NDR intermission films - and with her incomparable charm she takes the hearts of the NDR viewers by storm. Unforgettable are the television moments in which the walrus pulls itself onto the edge of its pool, panting and spluttering - only to let itself fall elegantly back into the water a moment later. "Antje" is also the favorite of the visitors at Hagenbeck Zoo - and she loves the visitors equally:"The children stood at the edge of the pool and called "Antje, Antje!". Then she always came swimming," NDR photographer Gita Mundry recalled after " Antje's death. Susott often photographed and observed the walrus:"She regarded the people as her herd. Every morning she waited for the first visitors and then everything was fine."
A walrus as a "heraldic animal"
The stylized walrus head adorned the logo of all NDR radio stations and television from the 1980s.In the early 1980s, at an international workshop, Radovitz showed the "Antje" intermission films to some colleagues from the BBC. "They were enthusiastic. They thought that 'Antje' should be made what the lion is for Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer-Studios," said the former chief designer. And so he suggests that NDR put "Antje" in the broadcaster's logo. From 1983 "Antje" is not only the official signet, but also adorns the NDR logo in a stylized form. The walrus as a "heraldic animal" is popular and coveted:Soon stickers with the walrus will be stuck on countless car tails, school satchels and lockers.
The "era 'Antje'" is coming to an end
In 2001 the time had come:"Antje" and the old, rounded NDR letters gave way to a new logo."Antje's" stylized likeness adorned the station logo for 23 years. In 2001, NDR sent the walrus into retirement. It is said that "Antje" no longer fits the image of a modern information broadcaster. Nevertheless, she will continue to occupy an important place in the station, promises the then NDR director Jobst Plog. An animated series with "Antje" as the main character is planned.
And so "Antje" soon receives prominent visitors:children's book author and illustrator Janosch comes to Hagenbeck to get an impression of the living original before he starts working on the cartoon "Antje".
At that time, "Antje" had long since reached an almost biblical age for walruses. In the wild, the animals only live about 20 years. In the summer of 2003 it was announced that the old lady was slowly coming to an end. She just languidly bobs along in her pool. The once proud beard has fallen out. Walruses cannot survive in the wild without it - they need it for digging and foraging. "Antje", on the other hand, gets fresh fish every day and a special fish soup with vitamins and glucose.
"Antje's" death:visitors cry, politicians demand a monument
On July 17, nurse Dirk Stutzki found "Antje" dead in her sleeping enclosure. She passed away peacefully that night. Rarely does the death of a zoo animal cause such dismay:The Hagenbeck Zoo lowers the flags to half-mast, zoo visitors cry. Politicians are calling for a monument to "Antje", others want a square in Hafencity to be named after her. Shortly before her death, zoo director Carl Hagenbeck made an agreement with the Zoological Museum:"Antje" should be prepared after her death and exhibited in the museum.
Blue and cute:The Janosch "Antje" goes on the air
The cartoon "Antje" and her friends Tiger and Bear delight young television audiences from 2003.While the real "Antje" is with the taxidermist, the Janosch "Antje" goes on the air for the first time. In September 2003 the animated series "Antje &Friends" starts. For fans of the original, however, the cute blue Janosch walrus takes a little getting used to. The cartoon character bears little resemblance to the weighty walrus lady, whom NDR presenter Carlo von Tiedemann described as an "old battle horse". Nevertheless:The Janosch "Antje" is particularly popular with children. She has lots of adventures with her friends Bear and Tiger.
"Antje" is given a place of honor in the museum
"Antje" has a permanent place in the Zoological Museum.The real "Antje" "lives on" to this day. Since 2004 it has had a place of honor in the Zoological Museum. The preparation of the walrus was difficult, according to Daniel Bein from the Center for Natural History. It was very hot on the day "Antje" died, which damaged the skin. In animals that live in water, the skin decomposes much faster than in land animals. "Antje" was therefore already in poor condition when taxidermist Klaus Zwonarz began his work on the day of her death. It takes him 13 months to complete the preparation. Zwonarz tightens the skin and replaces the missing facial hair. And he finds out that "Antje" was clearly a female - there were always doubts about this question.
The result was a significantly younger walrus lady - who is still a crowd favorite even after her death.