It's Not Easy Being Knut

Death threat to polar bear cub on heels of health scare

By M. Morris, Newser Staff

Posted Apr 19, 2007 5:45 AM CDT

(Newser) – Knut watchers were on high alert yesterday after the Berlin Zoo's polar bear cub was targeted with an anonymous death threat, just a day after recovering from a health scare that turned out to be a toothache. The 4-month-old alarmed visitors Monday by refusing to frolic, lying on the ground with his paws over his eyes.

Treatment with antibiotics took care of the fever and swelling caused by teething, and Knut was back to enchanting fans under the watchful eyes of his 15 private body guards. Since the cub made his debut in late March, zoo attendance has roughly doubled, as has the price of shares in the zoo, which are traded on the German stock exchange.

while we watch him closely." (AP Photo/Michael Sohn) (Associated Press)

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(NEWSER) - The mysterious and sudden death of polar bear sensation Knut is mysterious no longer. A necropsy performed yesterday discovered "significant changes to the brain, which can be viewed as a reason for the polar bear's sudden death," the Berlin Zoo announced today. The zoo wouldn't elaborate on what those changes were, but it did say that no changes were found in any other organ; further planned tests include bacteriological and tissue examinations. The AP notes that polar bears can live to as old as 20 in the wild, and even long in captivity; Knut turned four in December. (Click to read about the panic attacks Knut was having last year .) More»

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Death threat to polar bear cub on heels of health scare

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Knut's Zoo Loses 2nd Animal

Six-year-old elephant Shaina Pali dies unexpectedly

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Knut to Be Stuffed, Displayed

Famous polar bear will go to Berlin museum

Brain Problems Killed Knut

Berlin Zoo says he was otherwise fine

Polar Bear Knut Is Dead

Beloved polar bear had been a world sensation

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