World adored, Knut the polar bear passes away

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World mourns loveable polar bear Knut



The only polar bear to ever be raised entirely by humans—and to have his own Vanity Fair cover photo shoot—died suddenly on Saturday in front of hundreds of his many fans. Knut was only four years old when he collapsed, leaving grieving admirers all over the world to cope with his early death.

The zoo has ordered a necropsy to determine why the bear died so young. Most polar bears live 20 to 30 years in captivity.



news.yahoo.com/s/yblog_thelookout/20110321/us_yblog_thelookout/world-mourns-loveable-polar-bear-knut

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The death of Knut, the world's most famous polar bear, has reopened the debate on the ethical minefield of man's relationship with wild
animals. So should polar bears be kept in zoos, asks Tom de Castella.






www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-12805534

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German polar bear Knut drowned when he fell into a pool of water in his enclosure after collapsing because of a brain swelling, experts have said.

First indications from post-mortem examinations at Berlin Zoo had revealed "significant changes to the brain".

Senior vets now say these changes were probably caused by an infection which caused the bear's brain to swell.

Four-year-old Knut died suddenly at the zoo in front of hundreds. Large amounts of water were found in his lungs.

"We believe that this suspected infection must already have been there for a long time... at least several weeks, possibly months," Achim Gruber, a professor of veterinary medicine at Berlin's Free University, said.

He added that even if Knut had not fallen into the water, it is likely that he would not have survived. A pathology team will continue to search for the exact cause of the illness over the coming weeks.


www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-12939434