Knut The Polar Bear May Be Stuffed By Berlin Museum (POLL)

Knut may be gone, but there's a chance he may still live on in one way at the Berlin Museum -- stuffed.



"It is true that our taxidermists are working on his corpse and have removed his fur," Gesine Steiner, a spokeswoman for Berlin's Natural History Museum, told Bloomberg. "We haven't yet made a decision on whether we will stuff him and exhibit him. We have to talk to the zoo. We do of course have lots of stuffed zoo animals on show here."



The 4-year-old polar bear became an international star in 2007 after trainer Thomas Doerflein personally fed the bear from a bottle after Knut's mother rejected him.



The Berlin zoo attributed the bear's death to "significant changes in the brain," according to the AP. However, some activists contend it may have been the result of stress stemming from having to share a pen with three other bears, according to USA Today.



While stuffing the bear may pay homage to him, not everyone's so keen on the idea.



Plans to stuff the bear have left several of his fans in dismay. "To stuff Knut is to abuse the feelings of millions of Knut fans all over the world," one fan, Horst Krause, wrote in the zoo's online condolence book. "Knut deserves a worthy burial."



Say no to this now:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/03/24/knut-polar-bear-stuffed_n_840203.html

Knut Will Be Stuffed Up - Activists Are Not Happy

The Knut Fans are not going to stay quiet after he suddenly died at the age of four on March 19. Knut was the star polar bear of Germany. The Berlin Zoo made millions of euros by merchandising Knut trade items and heavy entrance fees.

However, this time round the plan is to preserve Knut's body and put it on display in Berlin museum.

Activists are collecting signatures of Knut's fans on the internet and on streets. It is a condolence book provided by the zoo but it is being filled with angry messages.

People and activists are saying, 'Knut cannot be stuffed. When are you going to get the message!'

'Leave him alone for once! You cannot be serious. Let Knut rest in peace!!!'

An open letter was sent to the zoo's director Bernhard Blaszkiewitz says, 'Nobody wants to look at a stiff, dead Knut.'

Nobody wants to see a cremated Knut. Anyhow, it has been revealed that Knut is not "ACTUALLY" going to be stuffed. Instead a plastic model of an animal body with fur, skin or scales will be used.

I am not sure if the real fur of Knut will be used or not for this stuffing business. If that is the case then I am against this plan. It was not stated clearly.

Anyhow, it is just too obvious that Knut was just simply used to make money while he was alive and now that he is gone due to the negligence of the zoo there are plans to remember him through a stuffed up display of Knut. I feel sad for star animals too. People just use them in one way or the other.

Is negligence the reason of Knut’s sudden death?

Knut was not just well loved but also a very famous polar bear & his sudden death has left everyone in mourning. He was just 4 year old. They have no idea what’s the cause of his death. Moreover, animal rights activists are blaming zoo keepers for his death.



Kunt died in front of hundreds of visitors. He collapsed into a pool of water. That must have been a terrible sight.



A video has been posted online to show images of his Knut’s last minutes. He repeatedly turns around in a circle & then tumbles into the water.





Berlin Zoo's bear curator Heiner Klös says that he last saw Knut on Saturday afternoon shortly before his death and that he looked fine. "I was so shocked to hear that Knut had died — he'd been a big part of my life for the past four years," says Klös.





Knut became world famous cause his mother rejected him & he was looked after by Thomas Dörflein. Knut was the first polar bear to be born and raised at the Berlin Zoo in 33 years.





Berlin zoo made a fortune, thanks to Knut.



Thomas Pietsch, a wildlife expert at the Hamburg-based animal-welfare group Four Paws says: But it's wrong to keep polar bears in captivity. They need a lot of space and they're used to the Arctic climate." The fact that Knut died at the age of 4 is very unusual, noting that polar bears kept in captivity often live up to 30 years or more. "He didn't die of old age," says Pietsch.





Knut was stressed out. He showed signs but it wasn’t taken seriously. He was kept with 3 female bears. Polar bears tend to be loners. He was behaving strangely over the past year but the zoo keepers paid no heed to it.





"Knut was looking apathetic, he lay in a corner of his enclosure — someone should have picked up on this," says Claudia Hämmerling, a Berlin Green Party MP.



Preliminary reports of post-mortem have confirmed that Knut was suffering from a brain disorder. Further tests will be carried out.



In the meantime, zoo directors have hit back at any claims of negligence. "We did everything to look after Knut — it's normal for polar bears to live with other polar bears in a zoo, and the idea was that Knut should learn social behavior and other skills from the older females," says bear curator Klös, adding that up until his death, Knut was flourishing. "He played with the other bears, he was relaxed and strong," says Klös. Which makes the young bear's sad, sudden death all the more mysterious.



Source:

http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,2060743,00.html#ixzz1Hhdv0Kac

Knut, the polar bear cub who died lately at Berlin Zoo

Knut was indeed very cute. I just came across this pic & I thought of sharing it with you all.

Knut was a very well loved polar bear but the death of the man who looked after him must have been too much. I think dying at the age of 4 is too early.

Anyway Knut has a better life than so many other animals.

Knut - Berlin's Star Polar Bear Is Dead

Knut with his zoo keeper Thomas Doerflein

Knut with his zoo keeper Thomas Doerflein

Knut with his zoo keeper Thomas Doerflein

Knut with his zoo keeper Thomas Doerflein

Little Knut

Knut the poser was a favorite of the media and Zoo

A grown up Knut

Knut, the famous polar bear of the Berlin Zoo is died yesterday. He became an international star when his mother abandoned him and he was raised by his Berlin zoo keeper.

Knut was only four years old and the cause of his death has not been revealed. He was the first bear to be born in captivity in the zoo for 30 years. The first time media saw him was in 2007 and he became a major attraction for media and animal lovers.

He became a star over night when an animal activist said he should have been put down after he and his brother (who died later) were rejected by their mother following their birth in December, 2006. He was so popular that he ended up generating millions of dollars for the Berlin Zoo.

Thomas Doerflein took care of little Knut from the beginning when he bottle fed him and played Elvis Presley's songs for him. Thomas died of a heart attack in 2008. Knut was kept with his mother - Tosca and two other females - Nancy and Katjuscha later on.

He never really had any romantic relationships with them. In fact, there were cases of violent maulings when Katjuscha once tried to bite him.

Anyhow, Knut was rather young to have died. He seemed very cute in all his pics! I wish I could have seen him live. The Berlin Zoo will miss him dearly looking at the way they took care of him, he seemed like a real favorite.