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Knut 'Doesn't Know He's a Polar Bear'

Overexposed to humans, celebrity animal is miserable

By M. Morris, Newser Staff

Posted Mar 25, 2008 6:49 PM CDT

(Newser) – Poor Knut: The celebrity polar bear, no longer the ball of fluff who captivated animal lovers around the world, is miserable without human contact and doesn't realize he isn't a person. "Knut must go. As soon as possible," a keeper at the Berlin Zoo said of the 300-pound 15-month-old, Der Spiegel reports.

"As long as he's with us, he will always regard Thomas Dörflein as his father," the keeper said of Knut's onetime primary caregiver, who's no longer permitted interaction with his former playmate. What's more, "Knut needs an audience," the keeper said, and cries if he doesn't see the familiar crowds of visitors in front of his cage.

[Images (6)]

[Videos (2)]

Polar bear Knut and his keeper Ronny Henkel play in the water at the Zoo in Berlin on Monday, June 11, 2007. (AP Photo/ Michael Sohn)

Polar bear Knut relaxes while celebrating his first birthday in the Berlin Zoo, Germany, Wednesday, Dec. 5, 2007. A keeper says the majestic beast is unhappy. (AP Photo/Herbert Knosowski)

Knut, the polar bear cub, makes its first public appearance at the Berlin Zoo, in this Friday, March 23, 2007 file photo. (AP Photo/Herbert Knosowski, File)

Polar bear Knut lies down in the Berlin zoo, Sunday, Dec. 2, 2007. Knut, who celebrates his first birthday on Dec. 5, was rejected by his mother after birth and hand-raised by zookeepers. (AP Photo/Miguel Villagran)

Keeper Thomas Doerflein, right, plays with polar bear cup Knut in his outdoor enclosure in the Berlin Zoo, Thursday, July 5, 2007. (AP Photo/Franka Bruns)

A combo of two photos showing, left, the Polar bear Knut, at his first public appearance on March 23, 2007, and right, his first birthday in the Berlin Zoo, Wednesday, Dec. 5, 2007. (AP Photo/Markus Schreiber)

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The cute Knut (DirtyHarryGermany (YouTube))

Knut Song (Sniperkilla1991 (YouTube))

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Knut 'Doesn't Know He's a Polar Bear'