In Germany, Baby Rhino Is the New Knut

Zookeepers say it's totally normal

(NEWSER) - When zookeepers moved Knut—the bizarrely famous Berlin Zoo polar bear—into an enclosure with his mom and two other female bears, they were hoping he might strike up some kind of romance. Instead, Germans now fear the girls are “bullying” their famous cellmate. One video recently posted online showed one of them lunge to bite Knut’s throat. More»

German wanted to tie the knot before animal's death

(NEWSER) - Most spouses consider their pets better listeners than their partners , but a German man is taking animal companionship to a whole new level: Uwe Mitzscherlich, 39, has unofficially married his dying cat, Cecilia, reports the BBC . Animal marriage is illegal in Germany, so Mitzscherlich paid an actress $395 to perform the ceremony. Cecilia is asthmatic and over 10 years old. Mitzscherlich said he just wanted to show her how he feels before she dies. More»

(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»

(NEWSER) - Red panda mom Shan Tou has surprised zoo keepers in Fargo, ND, by giving birth to triplets, InForum reports. “This is huge," a Red River Zoo executive said. Red pandas, an endangered species, often have one or two cubs, but triplets are rare. "It’s been 10 years since the last triplets have been born in the Western Hemisphere,” said the zoo's main panda keeper. More»

Mom rejected cub after delivery last weekend

(NEWSER) - A tiger cub rejected by its mother shortly after birth last weekend is on its second canine mom. A dachshund belonging to the zookeepers adopted the spurned cub but later died. Now the dog's daughter, Bessi, is raising the infant she "fell in love" with, a rep for Germany's Stroehen Zoo tells the Los Angeles Times. More»