Touching gesture

Thomas Brezina takes over the sponsorship of “Max”

The sponsorship is a reminder of his mother, "who would have celebrated her 100th birthday this year and counted ring-tailed lemurs among her favorite animals," says Brezina.(Bild: APA/HAUS DES MEERES/DOMINIK MOSER)

The popular Viennese children's and youth book author Thomas Brezina has taken on a special sponsorship at Vienna's Haus des Meeres. The 60-year-old chose the catta "Max", as the zoo announced on Thursday. 

For Brezina, the sponsorship has a deeper personal meaning: it is a reminder of his mother, "who would have celebrated her 100th birthday this year and counted ring-tailed lemurs among her favorite animals."

As part of the handover, Brezina visited "Max" and his fellow species in the zoo's Madagascar enclosure. The curious catta and his lemur roommates were visibly interested in the celebrity visit.

Brezina is really pestered by the funny ring-tailed lemurs ...(Bild: APA/HAUS DES MEERES/DOMINIK MOSER)

A welcome guest
Brezina has been closely associated with the Haus des Meeres for many years. In a press release, the zoo emphasized that the author has already filmed several of his popular formats, including "Tom Turbo" and "Forscherexpress", at the Haus des Meeres and is always a welcome guest.

Brezina, who is one of Austria's most successful children's book authors with over 550 published books, also emphasized his close connection to the animal world. Calicoes belong to the lemur family and originally come from Madagascar, where they are endangered due to habitat loss. The Haus des Meeres is actively committed to protecting these fascinating animals.