Help Save Polar Bears

Due to climate change and habitat loss, polar bears could disappear off the face of the planet within our lifetimes. Polar bears need sea ice to hunt and survive, but sea ice is melting, forcing polar bears to swim longer distances just to find food. Their homes are also in danger due to oil and gas drilling that destroys essential polar bear habitat, displacing bears, and in some cases, causing mothers to abandon their cubs--who then perish.

These bears need our help to survive. Ask President Obama to protect bear habitat in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge and in the Chukchi Sea off Alaska's coasts.

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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.

Russia Has Lift The Ban On Polar Bear Hunting

This is some really disturbing news. I can not believe governments are actually legalizing inhumane treatment of animals so openly. The most recent development is that Russia has legalized the hunting of polar bears for the first time in more than half a century.

That is terrible news for the endangered polar bears. Already their numbers are shrinking. 2000 polar bears live in this area. Ten years ago there were 5000 of them. Overall, some 20,000-25000 polar bears are alive globally. These numbers are hardly impressive enough. We have already done lots of damage.

Yet, the Russian governor from Chukotka - Roman Kopin has signed a decree that allows the area's people to kill 29 polar bears each year. I mean what the hell is all this? Is this some sort of a crazy competition?

The authorities are defending their decision by saying that hunting polar bears for their meat and fur has always been a tradition in the Chukchi culture in the Russian Arctic. They said hunters will not be allowed to export bear skins or sell their meat commercially. As if this is going to bring the dead animals back!

The critics are shouting out loud against this move because the habitat of polar bears are shrinking and there is already enough poaching going on around. It is such ruthless decisions that are disturbing the socio-ecological environment immensely.

This is absolutely insane. These people are ruling the world and just look at the inhuman stuff they are carrying out. Shame on these guys! I don't know how do they sleep well after doing such unkind things!

Save Polar Bears

Polar bears can only naturally reside in the arctic region, where they take refuge in the icy landscape, can safely hunt for food, and have space to den and raise their young. Unfortunately, big oil companies want to begin exploratory drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, which could drive polar bear mothers to flee the area--leaving their defenseless cubs at risk of starvation and death.

Don't let the oil companies drive out the arctic's natural inhabitants. Tell President Obama to grant the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge permanent protection from energy exploration and development.

Sign The Petition! 

Save Polar Bears From Sarah Palin

Scientists say global warming has made the polar bear highly endangered. But Sarah Palin is fighting efforts to protect the polar bear, allowing them to be killed for body parts... for trophies. Do we really want another Vice President with these values?"

Sarah Palin says, as Defenders of Wildlife prove, "Protecting polar bears gets in way of drilling for oil."

Polar bears, in the next 50 years, could possibly face extinction if actions aren't taken to save them. These creatures are the largest predators on earth-- even larger then a grizzly bear, but they're facing problems even larger then they're sizes could ever reach.

Global warming, caused from drilling of our ancient Antarctic snow and ice and also world-wide pollution, is melting the lands of the polar bear. Because of that, polar bears are drowning out at sea before reaching shore, and some are even committing cannibalism as their food supplies disappear. But along with that large issue to the polar bears, Sarah Palin is also shooting them down, hunting and poaching. Sarah Palin is also agreeing with drilling of the ice and sea for human's misguided reasons, and the sound, and pollution is also causing polar bears to die.

Polar bears are great trophies, rugs and prizes to hunters of the arctic, but the United States is trying to ban that horrible fact while the rich Safari Club International is in court seeking to allow its wealthy hunters to kill polar bears again. Along with it, Sarah Palin is selling polar bear body parts as prizes... or trophies.

Please take part in saving these polar bears who are dying, along with our arctic regions.

http://www.thepetitionsite.com/4/save-polar-bears-from-sarah-palin/