It's Not Easy Being Knut

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»

(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»

Baby rhinoceros rejected by its mother will be raised by humans

(NEWSER) - A rhinoceros born Sunday in Germany is poised to become that country’s next cute and cuddly animal sensation, Der Spiegel reports. The as yet unnamed baby rhino, already 128 pounds, will live at the zoo in the city of Münster and be raised by humans after its mother rejected it. The 18-year-old mother, Emmi, had killed two of her offspring previously, and was acting distraught during the birth. More»

Polar bear under contract with different German zoo

(NEWSER) - The world's favorite polar bear may be bidding auf wiedersehen to the Berlin Zoo. Cuddly tourist attraction Knut actually belongs to the north German zoo his father came from, and a move is expected in the first half of 2009. "We entered into a contract which stated that the first surviving cub is owned by Neumuenster Zoo," said the Berlin Zoo's director. But Berlin officials want to keep Knut—and the extra $6.3 million he pulled in last year, the BBC reports. More»