Roly-Poly Polar Bear Goes on a Diet

(NEWSER) - The Berlin Zoo’s prized polar bear, Knut, isn’t going anywhere, Der Spiegel reports. Officials there will pay $600,000 to a rival zoo to settle an ownership dispute. Given Knut's bankability as a bona fide world star, it's a bargain. The bear, not yet 3 years old, is estimated to have brought the Berlin zoo $7.4 million since his birth. His image and trademark are worth an estimated $8.3 million. More»

Nuremburg doesn't want 'Knutomania'

(NEWSER) - Officials at a Nuremburg zoo have vowed not to rescue the cubs of two polar bears who gave birth about a month ago, even though one is showing signs of disinterest in her offspring, leaving them to cry plaintively for long periods of time. Zoo officials say they don't want to replicate "Knutomania"—the public obsession with Berlin's celebrity polar bear orphan, reports Der Spiegel, and will let the cubs die rather than intervene. More»

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

(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. More»

Death threat to polar bear cub on heels of health scare

(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. More»

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»