The meeting of the regional group Northern Bavaria in May was arranged around international attendance. The group had invited for a special meeting, triggered by the “Interzoo” fair, which took place in Nuremberg on that weekend. Due to the fair it was also possible to sign on several high profile speakers. Hans-Georg Evers reported about his trip to the “Mother of God”, the Río Madre de Dios in Peru. This report about an expedition covered not one, but several groups of fish. The second speaker, Ingo Seidel, presented his “Fascination with Hillstream Loaches” and excited not only the loach fans.

But first all attendants needed to arrive. Many of them did so as early as two hours before the official start. This resulted in a very informal gathering of well-known hobbyists. Already this meeting was characterized by a highly international attendance, since people did not only come from Germany, but also from the neighboring countries and even South America.

The first presentation by Hans-Georg Evers was then attended by 65 people, some only arriving during the talk – more than the highest count Torsten Schwede could ever register for any of the Christmas meetings of the regional group North. Record breaking. Woohoo!

Hans, the first speaker at the regi- onal group Northern Bavaria, then presented his extensive knowledge on his favorite fishes, the Corydoras, in this instance from the drainage of the Río Madre de Dios. He did, however, also include other groups of fish and the well known eloquence, fun presentation skills as well as the massive knowledge captivated everyone. It was a surprise that our hostess and server became an important part of the presentation, but was accepted quickly.

After a short break Ingo Seidel again captivated everyone with his presentation on hillstream loaches. Ingo, too, presented in his well known and fun way about the different genera and species of the hillstream loaches. He of course also referenced their origins, advise for keeping them, as well as of course how to breed them in captivity. Many of those in attendance enjoyed this detailed introduction into the specifics of Sewellia and relatives. Several decided to attempt keeping and breeding them right after the talk. A significant achievement for the speaker.

To summarize: the Interzoo Special turned out to be truly special. This meeting can only be considered a success due to the high attendance. The meeting unfortunately did, however, significantly diminish the cash reserves of the regional group due to the very reasonable trip contribution for the speakers. It therefore remains unlikely that this event will be repeated for the next Interzoo.