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November 22, 2008 6:26:53 CST

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'Knut' No Longer Equals 'Cute'

Posted Jun 1, 07 2:59 PM CDT in World 

(Newser) – Anyone who's ever had a nightmare about stuffed animals coming to life can relate to what Thomas Doerflein is going through. The zookeeper who's been celebrity polar bear cub Knut 's surrogate mother since the little camera hog was an adorable ball of fluff finds himself on the business end of an uncomfortable truth: Polar bears are ferocious predators.

Nearly six months old, Knut has grown to 62 pounds on a diet of porridge, fish, meat, and cat food. He draws 5,000 daily visitors to the Berlin Zoo to watch Doerflein play with him, but his once-delightful nipping now comes with a full measure of sharp carnivore teeth. "It only hurts when he gets angry," the keeper tells Reuters.

Source Reuters

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Martin Frechen, CEO of the German Steiff company, right, poses with a new collection of the company as Knut the polar bear, in background, walks in the Berlin Zoo April 3, 2007. Knut is the German capital's...   (Associated Press)
Polar bear Knut cools off in the water 22 May 2007 at the zoo...   (Getty Images)
Polar bear Knut inspects a so-called boomer ball he was given...   (Getty Images)
Polar bear Knut plays with his minder Thomas Doerflein 15 May...   (Getty Images (by Event))
Polar bear Knut plays with his minder Thomas Doerflein and a...   (Getty Images)
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Germany • animal • polar bear • zoo • Knut • Berlin Zoo • zookeeper • Thomas Doerflein


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