A wild boar weighing 200 kilograms in Upper Franconia bore the name "Putin" for a good four years - because of the Russian war of aggression in the Ukraine this is over.
The Russian-born boar will be called "Eberhofer" in the future.
This name prevailed in an online vote, as announced by the Waldhaus Mehlmeisel wildlife park (Bayreuth district) on Sunday evening.
"We are a harmonious, beautiful small game park and a name like that just didn't fit in there," said operator Eckard Mickisch, referring to the name of the Russian President, which has now been banned from the enclosure.
"Eberhofer" received 1198 votes, followed by "Gustl", for which 1013 participants voted.
The "Eberhofer" suggestion came from the operators of the entertainment program "Ringlstetter" on Bavarian radio.
There one had become aware of the pig renaming.
The name is an allusion to the "Eberhofer crime novels" written by Rita Falk and partly filmed, in which an investigator of this name is the focus.
There were also "Igor", "Frederick" and "Mir" to choose from.
The operators had selected five suggestions from a good 2,700 submissions.
“Selenskyj” or “Klitschko” actually turned out to be the favorites, but were not included in the final round.
He no longer wanted to politicize, said operator Mickisch.
The wild boar had come to the Upper Franconian park as a pig.
Because the boar was of Russian origin, he called him Putin "with a smile," said Mickisch.
In the meantime it has turned out "that no sow deserves such a name".
Shortly after the Russian attack on Ukraine, he decided to change the name, temporarily calling the animal "Nobody".
Mickisch said the name had to be removed out of respect for Ukrainian refugees, who would have free entry to the park.