Skip to: Content
Skip to: Site Navigation
Skip to: Search

October 13, 2008 8:18:40 AM CDT

Learn about Newser Points »

Stories related to: Knut

Stories

18 Stories

  • September 2008

    • Heart Attack Killed Knut-Keeper

      Associated Press  |  Sep 23, 08 1:34 PM CDT

      Heart Attack Killed Knut-Keeper

      (AP) - Berlin prosecutors said an autopsy today showed that Thomas Doerflein, the zookeeper who gained fame for hand-rearing the polar bear cub Knut, died of a heart attack. The city's mayor paid tribute to him for writing Berlin history. "Other causes of death, in particular involvement by another party, are ruled out from a medical point of view," Berlin prosecutors said. More »

      Tags

      Germany  • heart attack  • Berlin  • Knut  • zookeeper  • autopsy

    • Knut's Surrogate Dad Dead at 44

      Der Spiegel  |  Sep 22, 08 3:09 PM CDT

      Knut's Surrogate Dad Dead at 44

      (Newser) - Thomas Dörflein, the Berlin zookeeper who raised polar bear Knut after his mother rejected him, was found dead in his apartment today, Der Spiegel reports. He was 44. Authorities said there was no evidence of foul play; Dörflein had been very sick. The keeper’s contact with Knut was cut off almost a year ago when the cub became too big to safely play with. More »

      Tags

      obituary  • Knut  • Berlin Zoo  • zookeeper  • surrogates

  • March 2008

    • Knut 'Doesn't Know He's a Polar Bear'

      Der Spiegel  |  Mar 25, 08 6:49 PM CDT

      Knut 'Doesn't Know He's a Polar Bear'

      (Newser) - Poor Knut: The celebrity polar bear, no longer the ball of fluff who captivated animal lovers around the world, is miserable without human contact and doesn't realize he isn't a person. "Knut must go. As soon as possible," a keeper at the Berlin Zoo said of the 300-pound 15-month-old , Der Spiegel reports. More »

      Tags

      zoo  • polar bear  • Knut  • Berlin Zoo  • zookeeper  • bear  • Thomas Doerflein

    • Snowflake Almost Ready for Adoring Public

      Der Spiegel  |  Mar 14, 08 12:16 PM CDT

      Snowflake Almost Ready for Adoring Public

      (Newser) - Nuremberg’s favorite polar bear club is growing up fast and should be ready for her public debut by April, Der Spiegel reports. Little Snowflake has already passed through such coming-of-age rituals as her first bone, her first trip outdoors, and a much-needed first bath. Before the bath, Snowflake was apparently a decidedly smelly bear, keepers say. More »

      Tags

      Germany  • polar bear  • Knut  • Flocke  • Snowflake

    • Knut to Hit the Silver Screen

      Canadian Press  |  Mar 3, 08 6:30 AM CST

      Knut to Hit the Silver Screen

      (Newser) - Once celebrity polar bear Knut got big and his fluffy fur gained a yellowish-gray tint, public attention turned to younger, cuter bears. But now the spotlight is back on the Berlin Zoo's most famous orphan, with the premiere of a new documentary called Knut and Friends , the Canadian Press reports. More »

      Tags

      Germany  • Berlin  • polar bear  • documentary  • Knut  • Berlin Zoo

  • February 2008

    • Knut's Dad Wants a Piece of the Action

      Der Spiegel  |  Feb 15, 08 2:41 PM CST

      Knut's Dad Wants a Piece of the Action

      (Newser) - Knut, the polar bear superstar of the Berlin Zoo, has all the trappings of celebrity—fame, money, a Hollywood deal, and now, family members looking to cash in. The zoo that owns his dad, Lars, says it deserves some of the millions Knut has raked in, Der Spiegel reports. "We are currently looking into what claims we could have," said a spokesman for Neumunster Zoo. More »

      Tags

      Germany  • polar bear  • Knut  • Berlin Zoo  • exploitation

  • January 2008

    • Zoo Braces for Snowflake Mania

      Der Spiegel  |  Jan 31, 08 3:21 PM CST

      Zoo Braces for Snowflake Mania

      (Newser) - Polar celebrity Snowflake will meet her adoring public as early as late March, and Nuremberg zoo staff predict a blizzard of attention surrounding its most popular bundle of fur. Annual visitors are expected to jump from 250,000 to 1.3 million, reports Der Spiegel , which has the city readying itself by speeding up public transportation to the zoo. More »

      Tags

      endangered species  • polar bear  • Knut  • Nuremburg Zoo  • Flocke  • Snowflake

    • Cute, or Miserable and Crazy?

      Der Spiegel  |  Jan 15, 08 11:20 AM CST

      Cute, or Miserable and Crazy?

      (Newser) - The Nuremberg zoo's new polar bear cub, cute as she is, is highlighting the sometimes stark and brutal condition the animals face in captivity. Some biologists say the decision to bottle-feed the cub after her mother rejected her—as was done with superstar bear Knut—will only produce "a second psychopath," a bear dependent on humans and clueless about how to interact with her own species. More »

      Tags

      polar bear  • Knut  • Berlin Zoo  • Flocke

    • New Cub Could Out-Cute Knut

      Der Spiegel  |  Jan 14, 08 1:50 PM CST

      New Cub Could Out-Cute Knut

      (Newser) - There’s a new polar bear in Germany, and Knut had better watch his back, reports Der Spiegel , because the Nuremberg zoo’s 2.4-kilo baby bruin is drawing international attention for being so gosh darn cute. Fans have sent 15,000 name suggestions since Friday, but for now she’s called “Flocke,” German for "snowflake." More »

      Tags

      zoo  • polar bear  • Knut  • Berlin Zoo  • Nuremburg Zoo  • Flocke  • Snowflake

    • New Cub a Web Sensation

      Associated Press  |  Jan 11, 08 7:45 PM CST

      New Cub a Web Sensation

      (Newser) - The Nuremberg zoo's cuddly new polar bear cub still doesn't have a name, but it does have a website—and a fast-growing legion of smitten fans. "We're getting 15 emails with name suggestions every minute," said a city spokesman. For the time being, zookeepers have dubbed the cub Flocke, German for flake, the AP reports. More »

      Tags

      animal  • zoo  • polar bear  • Knut  • Nuremburg Zoo

    • Zoo Will Let Polar Cubs Die, Rather Than Raise by Hand

      Der Spiegel  |  Jan 6, 08 6:06 PM CST

      Zoo Will Let Polar Cubs Die, Rather Than Raise by Hand

      (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 »

      Tags

      Germany  • animal  • zoo  • polar bear  • Knut  • Berlin Zoo  • movie deal  • Nuremburg Zoo

  • December 2007

    • Knut Goes Hollywood

      Der Spiegel  |  Dec 31, 07 10:34 AM CST

      Knut Goes Hollywood

      (Newser) - The Berlin Zoo is about to make even more money off Knut, the once-adorable and now rather large polar bear cub raised by keepers from infancy after his mother rejected him. Hollywood is hoping to make an animated movie about Knut and his keeper Thomas Dörflein, and is ready to dole out $5 million (3.5 million euros) for the rights, Der Spiegel reports. More »

      Tags

      movie  • polar bear  • Knut  • Berlin Zoo

    • Knut Mania Triggers Rift at Zoo

      Times (UK)  |  Dec 13, 07 4:30 PM CST

      Knut Mania Triggers Rift at Zoo

      (Newser) - A savvy marketing campaign that turned cuddly Knut into the world's most famous polar bear has driven a wedge between his human handlers. The Berlin Zoo's finance director, the man who made Knut the poster bear for global warming and turned a tidy profit for the zoo in the process, has left on not-so-amicable terms after the zoo's director complained of the never-ending cult of Knut, the Times reports. More »

      Tags

      climate change  • polar bear  • Knut  • Berlin Zoo  • Leonardo DiCaprio

  • August 2007

    • Panda Fever Takes Vienna

      Associated Press  |  Aug 24, 07 5:58 AM CDT

      Panda Fever Takes Vienna

      (Newser) - After Berlin's paroxysms over the polar cub Knut, now it's Vienna's turn: the giant panda Yang Yang has given birth to a 3.5-ounce cub, the first born in Europe in 25 years. The birth was a complete surprise; Yang Yang had shown no signs of pregnancy during a recent ultrasound, but zookeepers detected squealing from her compound yesterday. More »

      Tags

      Austria  • zoo  • panda  • Knut  • Vienna

    • Roly-Poly Polar Bear Goes on a Diet

      Der Spiegel  |  Aug 1, 07 7:53 AM CDT

      Roly-Poly Polar Bear Goes on a Diet

      (Newser) - Superstar polar bear Knut has been put on a diet after growing too fat to be weighed on the Berlin Zoo's scales. Knut's Brando-style transformation came about from eating too many croissants and second helpings of meat and fish, leaving him a visibly stuffed bear. "Knut has become noticeably round," says the zoo's vet. More »

      Tags

      animal  • exercise  • diet  • polar bear  • weight  • Knut  • Berlin Zoo

  • July 2007

    • Party's Over for Celebrity Polar Bear

      Der Spiegel  |  Jul 9, 07 11:37 AM CDT

      Party's Over for Celebrity Polar Bear

      (Newser) - The Berlin Zoo is putting the kibosh on the crowd-pleasing daily wrestling match between celebrity polar bear Knut and his keepers. He'll still be on display, but at just over 7 months old, Knut tips the scales at 110 pounds, and his increasing ferocity has been making the "Knut and Thomas Show" look less like "Sesame Street" and more like "Wild Kingdom." More »

      Tags

      polar bear  • Knut  • Berlin Zoo

  • June 2007

    • 'Knut' No Longer Equals 'Cute'

      Reuters  |  Jun 1, 07 2:59 PM CDT

      'Knut' No Longer Equals 'Cute'

      (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 »

      Tags

      Germany  • animal  • zoo  • polar bear  • Knut  • Berlin Zoo  • zookeeper  • Thomas Doerflein