Nemo, the Otter Ambassador - Nemo & His Relatives Part VI

Nemo, the Inspirational Little Otter Ambassador

Respectfully written & submitted by Béatrice Dumiche

I am tempted to say that this exhibition would not have existed if Gettmann had not taken the chance ten years ago to give his lifelong passion for otters an official focus through a unique educational venture. He likely did not foresee its extraordinary success when in November 2005 he rescued an Asian-Short-Clawed pup born in the Aquazoo Düsseldorf, of which he had been the director for almost twenty years. The otter’s mother could not take care of the seven cubs in her first litter at once. After two of them had died during the first night, Gettmann chose the weakest among the survivors and bottle-fed him at his home where he then grew up alongside the family’s German shepherd, Laïka, who provided a sort of maternal presence to him. He quickly became a family member with a strong personality and was named Nemo by one of Gettmann’s sons due to the white spot on his chin, which was reminiscent of the white beard of the legendary captain Nemo in Jules Verne’s Twenty Leagues under the Sea.                                    

One could say a star was born but it was not as easy as that in retrospect: much smartness and wisdom were needed to foster the cuddly little animal that won the hearts of the German public almost immediately from his first television appearance as an ambassador for his species. First, his keeper had to peak the journalists’ interest to get invited to shows that would provide the little otter enough time and space to demonstrate his abilities in order to really display his antics to the audience. Then his increasing popularity had to be managed because, as Gettmann states, Nemo’s childlike expressions and behavior created an unexpected wave of sympathy which needed to be canalized and oriented in favor of the cause he was defending.

The last room of the exhibition, mostly dedicated to Nemo, was a miniature hall of fame but remained far from focused on Nemo as a ‘star’. It gave an idea of Gettmann’s goal when he chose to make Nemo an otter ambassador: the concept is based on publicity, which he needs the support of celebrities for, but what matters the most to him is to spread a foundation of knowledge about otters and to generate understanding and sympathy for them. That is why he made Nemo accessible to everybody who showed an interest, and sometimes it was incredible how much even of his private time he gave to visitors who came from all parts of Germany and Europe just to see his cuddly companion. He is very conscious of the importance of personal contact in creating new otter advocates as they shared a precious experience with Nemo, the intensity of which could not be measured in comparison with the effect of just seeing him on television. It may seem exaggerated but in meeting Nemo a partnership is formed and any spectator becomes a witness of who Nemo is and what one can learn from him about the behavior of his fellows. It is a sign of great commitment and generosity that even now he has retired from his official position at the zoo, Gettmann remains ready to support any action in favor of otters if it is compatible with his multiple other activities and some well-deserved leisure time. He also continuously finds ways to let old and new friends from all over the world meet Nemo.

A photo gallery from the last ten years presented a range of celebrities, mostly hosts of scientific programs, posing with Nemo on their shoulders. There were also some actors, among them several of international fame, for example, Sky Dumont, zoo directors from all across Europe, and others who are dedicated to the investigation of the underwater world, for example, the pioneer diver Hans Haas who donated all of his equipment to the Aquazoo. Beyond Nemo’s role as an ambassador his advertising value for the zoo was tremendous and the opportunity to meet him there at regular free feedings as well as during guided otter tours that could be booked for a fee, which paid the volunteer in charge of the otters, made him so popular that many people stopped by at Düsseldorf just to see him and to take a picture with him. He became a local and touristic symbol of the city, appearing every night in the trailer for the regional news program among other famous local sights and personalities.

A wisely managed stardom to raise love and understanding for otters

Wolfgang Gettmann was wise enough to never let the idea of Nemo’s stardom take over the defense of the original cause as had happened with some other famous zoo animals in Germany at the same time. The memorable birthday parties, where the little otter was doted upon by his fans, sometimes visiting from as far as France or Great Britain to celebrate with him, were always an opportunity to remind them through conferences and information panels that he was representing a globally endangered species and that the love he was receiving should be extended to his wild fellows. The exhibition took into account both aspects as it presented a few gifts expressing the deep bonds formed between Nemo and his human friends, especially through his Facebook page created by a volunteer and which presently counts around 4,500 followers from all five continents. As all of these followers know what he likes most, the Aquazoo and his director received large quantities of mail containing pacifiers he loves to chew on, some even with his name printed on them, ballpoint pens he enjoys breaking into pieces especially when there is rubber round them, and pumpkin seeds he is fond of eating. Gettmann has also received many gifts featuring the little otter’s effigy, such as mugs or mouse pads and, of course, t-shirts. Although half of a showcase was filled with these items, the clear focus was on the educational work accomplished with Nemo as Gettmann has always prioritised this aspect while remaining aware that the public sympathy for his otter was a way to open the hearts for the needs of otters in general and moreover to transmit a philosophy of how to coexist with wild animals.

One could see in the exhibit evidence of the actions conducted in coordination with the Aquazoo, among them a lovely illustrated children’s guide to the zoo narrating a workday in Nemo’s life at the side of his human, some Nemo badges, a key ring, a postcard, and a sticker supporting the IOSF campaign to raise awareness for all of the thirteen otter species worldwide. These items as well as a beautiful CD compilation of footage compiled by a journalist of the public regional television of North-Rhine Westphalia, Jens Oliver Hoffmann, who contributed a lot to Nemo’s popularity thanks to the empathy he showed for him from the beginning, allowed him to become more than a simple mascot. His natural cuteness and the fact that he is absolutely hand-tame made him easily accessible to children whose love he responded to with much delicacy. Thus with his presence at the Aquazoo and at various events in the Düsseldorf area, he helped to lay the ground-stone for a new relationship between men and otters through the complicity he established with the children who he interacted with and who did not need to be taught to respect him.

While looking at Nemo’s teeth, children understood immediately that he was not just cuddly and could not be a pet for them to take home. They learned what a predator looks like and that he hunts to live, which is probably the most important understanding they gained as it allowed them to overcome any anthropomorphic interpretation of his behavior despite, or even better, because of the bonds they formed. From this moment, they began to learn that he was acting according to his specific aptitudes and that he needed the conditions enabling him to do so. He therefore did an amazing educative job with great simplicity, teaching generations of children love and respect for his fellows in the wild as they learned that humans and animals do not feel in the same ways and that it is the former’s role to resist their affective appropriation in order to keep their relationship a pleasant and naturally equilibrated one.  It could be assumed that almost any pupil in and around Düsseldorf has met Nemo at least once during their curriculum thanks to an intensive cooperation with schools and sport clubs. Countless numbers of children and adults recognized him while he was on his daily walks in the Nordpark where the Aquazoo is situated and proudly reported they had already seen him swim or catch a fish.

It was no surprise that the feedings, already a popular attraction at the Aquazoo as they display otters’ lively disposition, were the highlight of Gettmann’s guided tours of the exhibition too. These tours concluded with the feeding as a concrete illustration of the nutritional facts delivered by the panels at the entrance of the museum. Sometimes it was hard to say who was squeaking louder, the children or Nemo, as it was the fun moment both had been waiting for, him to get his food and them overwhelmed by his playfulness, but also his speed! They also became excited because they experienced his unpredictability and realized that they would not be able to cope with him if Gettmann was not there to play the role of a calming mediator explaining his reactions to them and helping them to get their cuddly moment. Discreetly and without words, he showed them through his own behavior that getting along with animals of all species, even pets, requires knowledge, practical training, and above all patience and attention - a useful lesson in human psychology, too! He proved his ability to not only be an excellent otter interpreter, his own sense of humor and mischief allowed him to have an easy connection with the young public Nemo attracted. It was often heart-warming to see how much some primary school children already knew about otters when they reacted to the exhibits presented.

The success of these encounters are the definitive clue that Gettmann was right to use the Anglo-Saxon educative methods in natural sciences as inspiration for his pedagogy and to reserve a special place for the abundant collection of English children’s literature about otters. The exhibition contained a large number of children’s books covering a wide range of styles and perspectives, from those based on encounters with tame otters? Daphne Neville’s Bee a particular otter illustrated by Jaquie Govier – to more imaginary stories relying on the emotional bonds with the species the British writers have established through decennials, for example, the very unique I am Otter by Sam Garton. The lovely Warum Fischotter schmatzen (“Why otters make noises when they eat”) published by the Office for Ecology of the Land (Region) Brandenburg and the Biosphere Reserve Spreewald (Landesumweltamt Brandenburg – Biosphärenreservat Spreewald) appealing to young readers with bad table manners, explaining their antics with a pinch of humor, showed that there are also some good, informative, books in German. It was the result of an ambitious project in which 1,500 pupils participated from the Paul-Gerhardt-Gymnasium and the primary school Spreewaldschule Lübben, monitoring the life of an otter mother and her cubs for a year. They created 1,300 drawings and texts, a selection of which constitutes the book, offering a good survey of this unique educative field project adapted especially for the public. There is even a booklet with practical exercises for the primary schools accompanying the textbook.

With Nemo, Gettmann consciously took a step further than popularization and otter awareness aimed at children, since they were excited about him from the beginning. He realized that part of the zoological experience in sharing his life would be the exceptional opportunity to observe an otter’s behavior under human care and collect first-hand information in order to adapt and improve the living conditions of his fellows. It is my opinion that Nemo already incarnates a zoological prowess, as he always gives the impression that he is behaving completely naturally. For those who have witnessed his kindness in any situation, his adaptability to the requests of journalists and filmmakers, and the fun he has with random people he meets, all while remaining himself and doing only what comes naturally, it is evident that his carefree behavior results from having never been forced to do anything contrary to his instinctive nature. He is integrated into the community of his family, where he found his own place, and this has obviously socialized him with humans in general with whom he has found a level of communication. The mischief he introduces into the everyday-life of his family members and especially, into Wolfgang Gettmann's life, leaves no doubt of his intelligence and corroborates the link between playfulness and evolution which connects his species with humanity. It also shows that the adaption is far from being unilateral and that the ‘otter’ normality they share as their very own is the secret of his naturally well-balanced and good minded character, which does not mean he will not stand for his rights with some loud protests when he does not agree! He is far more than an otter ambassador to whom people come simply to say hello and see what a cute and beautiful animal he is, he bonds with and touches them, and participates within the conditions of each encounter as he reacts individually to everyone he meets according to a range of instinctive behaviors he is perfectly able to modulate. He remembers visitors too and, as ridiculous as it may sound, it is a pleasure and an honor to be recognized by such a busy celebrity and personally welcomed, even – or perhaps especially - when that celebrity is not human.

Nemo has inspired many artists, including the renowned painter of animals, Monica Schwarz, and the internationally recognized photographer team, ‘Life on white’. Although this fame was highly appreciated as it helped in the fight against the prejudice that otters were ugly and not a worthy subject of art for their own sake, Gettmann never gave up on his original science-based goal of contributing to research by documenting life with Nemo. This was also a way to make a clear break from the traditionally limited role ‘star’ animals previously played in zoos and to clarify that he was not keeping an otter just for his own fun. That is why he authorized the North Rhine Westphalian television channel, WDR, to take footage of Nemo having an appointment at a local veterinarian dentist’s office to inform the little otter’s friends that he needed to be cured of a broken tooth. In this way, he attracted attention to one of the frequent health issues of the species which makes it vulnerable in the wild, and used the opportunity to give the television viewers an insight into developments of surgeries possible for wild animals. This was not the definitive aim, however. It also led to a joint publication with the veterinarian dentist, Dr. Jochen Krüger, from Krefeld, for a scientific journal used for zookeepers’ education.

Surprisingly, many followers of Nemo’s and Wolfgang Gettmann’s Facebook pages asked if they could get a copy of the article, and were willing to visit the Aquazoo for this purpose. It does not matter how far they actually went into their reading, what was most important, in my view, was that their interest in Nemo and what happened to him was strong enough to lead them to occasionally want to push past the limits of what they imagined they would read and that they were not embarrassed to ask for an article aimed towards a zookeeper readership. This shows that the little otter helps to remove barriers as he incites the courage in people to contact professionals and to try to reach a new level of knowledge, even if it may be just once. It is remarkable that these people responded so readily to an offer to expand their knowledge, making scientific information more accessible in a personal way and could even be the beginnings of a vocational interest in some cases. It proves that research is not incompatible with educating a wider public audience in a better understanding of the ways in which zoology cares for wild animals and contributes to improving their well being and bettering the conditions of their conservation ex-situ.

Thus, Nemo provides a chance to present the good zoos can do as he offers the opportunity to document how much knowledge and professional education is required to properly care for just one – predominantly tame animal. Despite his exceptional way of life, he can undeniably be considered, from my perspective, living proof of the ways in which zoology and ethology work together to ameliorate the cohabitation between men and wildlife. Zoos play a determining role in research and education as the close observation of otters both in the wild and under human care helps by constantly providing information on how to adapt and protect their natural environment and ways to prolong their life or rehabilitate them thanks to the progress of veterinarian science. Representing a zoo of which he was director, Gettmann could not help but be forced to face the reality that nature as it was before man began to transform the planet according to his own interests no longer exists, and that it will not be possible to find a way back to that original state as hypothetically suggested by Rousseau. He appealed to actually inform people how zoos work while at the same time abandoning the fantasies that they are adventure parks where rare animals are supplementary attractions needing to be improved upon every year in the search for sensational entertainment. The strength of Gettmann’s position is that he has never pretended to present anything other than an otter behaving as itself in the contact of men, not because it had been educated and kept like a pet, but because humans and animals share structurally some of the same natural forms of life, allowing them to coexist and communicate at certain levels of understanding.

Otter News would like to sincerely thank Clare Laughran for her editing of the review.