Knut the polar bear died of brain illness
The video of Knut the polar bear spinning himself dizzy before dropping dead into the water at the Berlin zoo earlier this week made people all over the world wonder what on earth had happened to the young bear.
German vets now say that the four-year-old polar bear died prematurely due to brain problems. 
Initial findings from a postmortem performed by an institute in the German capital showed "significant changes to the brain, which can be viewed as a reason for the polar bear's sudden death", the zoo said in a statement.
Pathologists found no changes to any other organs, the zoo said, adding that it would take several days to produce a final result. Further planned tests include bacteriological and histological, or tissue, examinations.
Knut died on Saturday in front of visitors at the zoo, turning around several times and then falling into the water in his enclosure.
Polar bears usually live 15 to 20 years in the wild and longer in captivity.
Knut, who was born in December 2006 at the zoo, rose to celebrity status as a cub. He was rejected by his mother at birth, along with his twin brother, who only survived a couple of days.
He attracted attention when his main keeper, Thomas Doerflein, camped out at the zoo to give Knut his bottle every two hours. Doerflein died in 2008 of a heart attack.
Knut went on to appear on magazine covers, in a film and on mountains of merchandise.
Source: The Guardian
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