Bert the Pioneer

 About an elk and other deers.  We are living in a time in which many species that originally belonged to our landscape have vanished. With great efforts and small steps, some are returning.

So one day, in the quiet and expanded lowlands between the Nuthe and Nieplitz rivers, stands a solitary figure – Bert the elk. An unexpected meeting. He is looking at me, I am looking at him. Then an adolescent, now a grand elk. Wearing his antlers like the crowns of an ancient king, towering above him like the spires of a castle. Each branch of his antlers is a story, a chapter in the tale of these lowlands.

At the doorstep of the capital cities of Berlin and Potsdam the lowlands are a patchwork of wetlands, forests, and open fields. Vast stretches of farmland blended with varied nature. It is a peaceful place where cranes call across the sky and wolves have their territories.

Being all alone and yet he stays – Elch Bert has become an unshakeable part of the region. Waiting hopefully for other elks to come? But until then, in the rutting season, small herds of cows are now his family. Not without losses, because the forces between the two species are unevenly distributed. After getting to know each other, also the farmers have accepted him as part of the country. Calves scrub and slobber on his antlers and call him „Uncle Bert“.

Brave pioneers attract a lot of attention. That’s why Bert is famous. His story is told in the news, published in magazines and newspapers. The area is proud of him and even has its own elk road sign. So the best time to meet Bert is before sunrise. Where deer and other wild animals can roam freely. Then you can meet him all alone on one of his favorite hazy meadows between the woods.