Ursula Boettcher – mistress of the white giants (9 photos + 1 video)

Different eras have given the world great women who have gone down in history. They ruled empires, fought for people's rights, saved lives, and invented things we still use today.





There were not so many of those who challenged not a hypothetical, but a real force, many times superior to their own. And among them is Ursula Boettcher, who went down in history as the “Princess of Polar Bears.”



Ursula was born in Dresden, Germany, on June 6, 1927, into an ordinary working-class family. The unusual career of Ursula, who is considered the most amazing trainer, began at the age of 20 and rather prosaically. The girl was hired as a cleaner at the Bush Circus. There she began an affair with an assistant elephant trainer, which sparked her interest in animal training.





It was perhaps fate that Ursula would be drawn to bears. After all, her name comes from the Latin word “ursus”, which literally translates as “bear”. Ursula was petite, only 1.55 in height, which only emphasized the difference between the fragile girl and the huge beasts she trained. Her affection for the giant polar bear, almost the largest predator that lived on earth, made Ursula a star and became famous throughout the world.



In the United States, Ursula and Her Amazing Bears were the main theme of Ringling Brothers shows in the 70s and 80s. The performance had no analogues. In Europe, Ursula toured with Circus Krone in Munich, Circus Berolina, Circus Kny in Switzerland, Circus d'Or in Italy and again with Circus Busch in East Germany.



The little trainer’s kindness to animals, as well as the effectiveness of her training methods, were legendary. But, nevertheless, the girl twice received quite serious injuries from her charges, and one assistant was killed by a Kodiak bear. Despite this, Ursula continued to treat her bears like children: each of them had a name, and she trusted each of them with her life, time after time entering the arena.



Over time, Ursula's troupe of trained bears gradually dwindled. The age of both the artists and the trainer herself affected.



Ursula continued to perform until December 1998, making a final tour of Germany and Belgium with Circus Busch Berlin. After this, Ursula retired and the remaining animals found homes in various German zoos.



On March 3, 2010 - at the eighty-third year of her life - the “Princess of Polar Bears”, whose unique training methods and shows no one could repeat, died in her native Dresden.