tagged w/ Knut the polar bear
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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
The video of Knut the polar bear spinning himself dizzy before dropping dead... more
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Once the darling of Berlin, Knut the celebrity polar bear has become a victim of the credit crunch: the zoo that reaped in the euros from its most famous resident can no longer afford to keep him.
Knut turns two this week and Berlin zoo is unable to raise enough money to give the growing bear the new, bigger compound he needs to move, play and mate. A new home is being sought.
A larger compound - and the acquisition of a mate - would have cost the zoo an estimated €9m (£7.68m).
"It's simply too much money," said one zoo manager. "We cannot afford a third group of polar bears in such economically strained times."
The zoo's senior bearkeeper, Heiner Kloes, said: "It's time for him to go - the sooner he gets a new home the better. Anything else would be financially irresponsible."
There is likely to be demand across Europe's zoos for Knut, who graced the cover of Vanity Fair and appeared in his own feature film. Knut's popularity raised €5m for Berlin zoo.
More than 21,000 Berliners have signed a petition to keep him in the city. "Berlin is set to lose one of its best ambassadors," said Christian Taenzler, a tourism authority spokesman. "To the regret of international visitors it is about to lose one of its true icons."
Zookeepers believe it is in Knut's interests to find a new home in the company of other polar bears. They are worried for his psychological health because 18 months of hand-rearing after rejection by his mother has left him addicted to human laughter and applause. One keeper says Knut has become so used to attention that he cries when no one is near his enclosure.Once the darling of Berlin, Knut the celebrity polar bear has become a victim of the... more
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