New zookeeper for Internet star Toni: Hamburg is moving to Berlin!

New zookeeper for Internet star Toni: Hamburg is moving to Berlin!

A new star in Berlin was born! The 21-year-old Nikolas Algenstaedt took up his dream job as an animal keeper of the little dwarf flow horse Toni in the Berlin Zoo. The trained zoo carer moved from Hamburg to Berlin to look after the six -month -old Hippo. His sisters are blinded with envy - after all, they are big fans of Toni, who, thanks to their sweet videos on social media, have built up a huge fan base. These clips have already collected more than a million likes on TikTok, which attracted attention not only to the Berlin, but even international media such as the BBC, such as berliner-abatt.de reported.

The competition for the job

The demand for the position was overwhelming: 279 applications were received by the Berlin Zoo, which corresponds to an increase of a third compared to usual application rounds. But not only animal keepers have expressed their interest; A real lifeguard even applied, which the zoo originally only gave jokingly. Water habituation is an important aspect in Toni, and the small hippo can now splash around alone in the large water basin, says Algenstaedt. "Toni is great," assures the new carer. Your diet includes peanuts, fruit, vegetables and currently breast milk, which makes it strong and difficult, part of your natural development.

The collaboration with Toni requires care: Despite the familiar relationship, a certain distance is offered because the strong teeth of the animals can be quite dangerous. "Cuddly units are not in there," explains Algenstaedt, but adds that he and Toni gradually make friends: "Of course, Toni already feels like family." The zoo visitors and fans can follow more about the curious dwarf flow horse and its progress in the coming weeks, since Algenstaedt will accompany the animal with all his experience. The arrival of the new nurse and the development of Toni promise exciting insights that are also announced via the zoo website, as zooberlin.de .