petfood pro 4/2021

Marketing
Learning from Turtles
At a time when the hectic of everyday
office life dominates our lives, there are
always opportunities to escape from it.
Some companies allow their employees
to bring their dogs into the office. Nestlé,
for example, has a whole dog nursery. Dr.
Harnisch Publications, which publishes
this magazine you are reading, has been
housing reptiles for several years. These
are turtles of the genus “Emys Orbicularis”,
the European pond turtle. The employees
take a great interest in the development
and well-being of the little animals.
©Photos: Sabrina Maasberg
The next generation
A pond turtle is a skilled diver. It reacts
as quick as lightning and knows how to
hide. Unfortunately, these special animals
are threatened with extinction. For over
150 years, the family of our publishing
colleague and editor-in-chief of the
trade magazine fng, Philipp Hirt-Reger,
has been dedicated to the breeding of
pond turtles. With the two young turtles
Napoleon and Josephine, the offspring
of the year 2021, the second generation
is currently growing up in our offices of
Dr. Harnisch Publications, Nuremberg,
Germany. Their parents, Monique and
Ferdinand, now seven years old, were
recently resettled in an open area at a
food manufacturer in northern Germany.
There they move completely freely in the
grass, gravel and in a large pond on the
premises, where they can be seen every
few days to the delight of the company's
With Napoleon (left) & Josephine, the second generation of European pond turtles is
growing up in the premises of Dr. Harnisch Publications
employees. The two young animals also
feel very comfortable in their biotope with
us and grow daily. Their aquaterrarium
is the "base" in the publishing house
and ensures the well-being of the entire
staff. Every employee has taken the two
turtles to heart and visits them regularly.
We talked to expert Philipp Hirt-Reger
about the breeding and nutrition of these
special animals. The pictures of the turtles
in this article were taken by our colleague
and Team Member, Sabrina Maasberg.
What species of turtle are we
talking about exactly?
Hirt-Reger: The European pond turtle
"Emys Orbicularis" is the only species
of turtle native to Europe and the only
turtle found in the wild in Germany. It
lives in still or slow-moving waters, in the
shore area of large lakes and wetlands.
An adult pond turtle has few predators.
The only real enemy is the raccoon.
Even in the Middle Ages, the European
pond turtle was very common, until the
Catholic Church allowed it to be eaten
as a fasting food, almost causing their
extinction. Stocks were discovered in the
east of Germany. In Germany, the species
is considered to be threatened with
extinction. Their habitats are endangered
mainly by human intervention, by urban
sprawl of the landscape or the destruction
of aquatic biotopes. Efforts are now being
made to reintroduce pond turtles to
Austria, Switzerland and Germany. In the
80's, my family released a large amount of
pond turtles in Bavaria.
What conditions are necessary
for their breeding?
Since the pond turtle is native to Europe,
it also finds good climatic conditions in
Germany. It requires continental climate
and feels also comfortable at room
temperature. If they are kept indoors, they
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