Thousands descend on Berlin zoo for glimpse of Polar bear cub

Europe News

Mar 24, 2007, 13:59 GMT

Berlin - Thousands of visitors descended on Berlin zoo Saturday for a glimpse of a Polar bear cub that has become Germany's latest media celebrity. Polar bear cub Knut at Berlin Zoo, Berlin, Saturday, 24 March 2007. Knut, that was abandoned by its mother and brought up by Zoo workers, was presented to large crowds of public today. Knut can be seen every day between 11:00 and 13:00 at Berlin Zoo. EPA/Rainer Jensen

Polar bear cub Knut at Berlin Zoo, Berlin, Saturday, 24 March 2007. Knut, that was abandoned by its mother and brought up by Zoo workers, was presented to large crowds of public today. Knut can be seen every day between 11:00 and 13:00 at Berlin Zoo. EPA/Rainer JensenQueues 300 metres long formed outside the Zoological Gardens as people waited for a chance to see the fluffy white animal that was raised by his keeper after being abandoned by his mother. The bear, named Knut, rolled on the grass and bit into a red cloth held in front of him by his keeper, Thomas Doerflein, in the manner of a bullfighter. It was the first time that the general public had a chance to see Kunt in the flesh. The cub will be on show each day for two hours between 11 am and 1 pm. 'I've never seen people as happy as this,' said zoo veterinary surgeon Andre Schuele, as the crowds pressed towards the bear's enclosure in bright, sunny weather. Knut's debut almost threatened to upstage the informal summit of EU leaders, who flew into Berlin Saturday to mark the 50th birthday of the European Union. Knut made media headlines after animal-rights campaigners claimed he should be put down because he was becoming too dependent on humans since being left to die by his mother on December 5 last year. Keepers rescue Knut and his twin and decided to raise the cubs themselves by feeding them milk from a bottle. But only Knut pulled through after spending 44 days in an incubator. Over the past three-and-a-half months he has grown to a normal weight of 9 kilos and behaves like any other cub, although his fixation on humans makes him seek constant contact with his keeper. Officials said they would keep him apart from the zoo's other Polar bears because of the risk he would be trampled on. Eventually Knut is expected to be transferred to another zoo. A spokesman for the Zoological Gardens said other zoos have already made enquiries about using him for breeding purposes when he grows up. Knut is the first Polar bear to be raised in captivity at Berlin zoo in more than 30 years. © 2007 dpa - Deutsche Presse-Agentur

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poor KnutMar 24th, 2007 - 22:30:14

' Knut made media headlines after animal-rights campaigners claimed he should be put down because he was becoming too dependent on humans since being left to die by his mother on December 5 last year.'

The quote actually was: 'Hand-rearing a polar bear is not appropriate and is a serious violation of animal rights,' Bild newspaper quoted animal rights campaigner Frank Albrecht as saying. 'In fact, the cub should have been killed,'... 'The zoo must kill the bear.'

I can't help but think: Yup, he's a German.

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BonnieApr 20th, 2007 - 00:07:29

Whenever something makes world news, it really doesn't matter what the thing is, there are going to be people that will act radically towards it in order to bring attention to themselves. It is really sad that their lives are so empty.

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Thousands descend on Berlin zoo for glimpse of Polar bear cub

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