Snappy newsletters. Simple Facebook sharing. Spirited comments. Sweet features are waiting… GET THEM NOW!

Hot on Facebook

Uproar After NC State Agent 'Fixes' Girl's Lunch Preschooler has to eat chicken nuggets instead of mom's meal »

'Knut' No Longer Equals 'Cute'

As camera-ready polar bear grows more fearsome, the 'aww' factor diminishes

By M. Morris, Newser Staff

Posted Jun 1, 2007 2:59 PM CDT

(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.

[Images (5)]

[Videos (1)]

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)

« Prev« Prev | Next »Next » Slideshow

knut (cinthyather (YouTube))

View larger videos >>

« Prev« Prev | Next »Next »

To report an error on this story, notify our editors.

More Newser Stories

Lion Kills S. African Zookeeper

Employee came out of retirement because of staff shortages

(NEWSER) - A Johannesburg Zoo employee who came out of retirement because of staff shortages was killed by a lioness at a breeding facility outside the city. The 63-year-old, who had nearly 40 years of experience working with animals, was attacked while feeding the lions, the BBC reports. An enclosure was found unlocked, apparently because of human error. The 11-year-old lioness, Nyanga, was tranquilized and returned to her enclosure. More»

Knut's Zoo Loses 2nd Animal

Six-year-old elephant Shaina Pali dies unexpectedly

(NEWSER) - Just two weeks after the Berlin Zoo lost star polar bear Knut, a second young animal has died. Indian elephant Shaina Pali died early today at age six—well short of the 80 years elephants can live in captivity, reports the AP. The zoo's vet thinks an infection is to blame, but a necropsy is scheduled to be sure. An infection that caused brain swelling was blamed in Knut's death, but a zoo spokeswoman says the two are unrelated: "It's simply very, very sad." Click for more on plans to ... stuff Knut . More»

Final Verdict: Knut Drowned

Cause of the brain swelling not known, says pathologist

(NEWSER) - The sad final verdict is in: Celebrity polar bear Knut died from drowning. But the four-year-old's collapse into his enclosure's pool at the Berlin Zoo was caused by encephalitis, according to a necropsy performed on the bear. The AP reports that a zoo pathologist said she could not tell what caused the encephalitis—a swelling of the brain likely brought on by an infection—but ruled out rabies, botulism, and mad cow disease. Even if Knut had not drowned, the damage from the brain swelling would have killed him, reported the pathologist. More»

Knut to Be Stuffed, Displayed

Famous polar bear will go to Berlin museum

(NEWSER) - Knut spent his life on display in the Berlin Zoo, and in death he'll move to a museum. The famous bear will be stuffed and exhibited in Berlin's Natural History Museum, the New York Post reports, citing the Times of London. Even as veterinarians examined Knut to determine a cause of death, a taxidermist was there to make sure the bear's fur didn't get damaged. More»

Brain Problems Killed Knut

Berlin Zoo says he was otherwise fine

(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»

NEWS FROM OUR PARTNERS

What is Newser?

Face it: there's too much news. At Newser, we choose the most thought-provoking and entertaining stories from hundreds of US and international sources and reduce them to a headline, picture, and two paragraphs. And we do it 24/7—you can come back morning, noon, night (and in between) for something new that matters. Read less, know more.

Learn more »

Partnering with: Slate

View Newser on the mobile website

'Knut' No Longer Equals 'Cute'