Polar bear Knut is dead! :-(

[Kirsten]

Do you remember Knut, the sweet polar bear cub that's been handraised in the zoo of Berlin in 2007? He was all over the media those days.

His life changed drastically when his beloved animal keeper, Thomas Doerflein, died from a heart attack when Knut was two years old. Knut was so lonely and sad in his last years. Now he followed his beloved friend... :(

R.I.P. sweet Knut! :love:

Star polar bear Knut found dead (http://www.heraldsun.com.au/ipad/star-polar-bear-knut-found-dead/story-fn6s850w-1226024783094)

[phesina]

Oh, how sad.. but what a happy reunion at the Bridge!

Rest in peace, dear Knut, home again at last with your beloved friend.

[Kirsten]

I imagine the two of them playing happily at the Bridge now! :love:


Here are some older Knut links, for those who like to remember him:

Polar bear baby Knut - cute, cute, CUTE!!! (http://petoftheday.com/talk/showthread.php?t=124471&highlight=Knut)

Little Knut is crying for his "dad" (http://petoftheday.com/talk/showthread.php?t=130171&highlight=Knut)

Polar bear Knut's zookeeper is dead! (http://petoftheday.com/talk/showthread.php?t=146450&highlight=Knut)

[sana]

that's so sad...I have never heard of him, but he looks so sweet... :love::love::love:

[Freedom]

Even for a polar bear in captivity, three is quite young. So sad.

RIP Knut.

[pomtzu]

RIP Knut.

I love polar bears. It's hard to believe tho, that those cute little balls of fluff, grow up to be such vicious killers. Whenever there is any type of special on t.v. about polar bears, I always make a point of watching it. I hope the melting ice subsides, and that they do not become endangered. It would be so tragic to see them disappear.

[Karen]

Rest in Peace, dear one. Polar bears in the wild stay with their mother for a long time, often more than 30 months, and dear Knut's "mother" having passed away when he was 2 probably meant he was soooo sad. I am sure they are reunited in heaven.

[kitten645]

My understanding was that he was rejected by his mother and that's why he was hand-raised. I saw some video of his final moments and it looks like he had a stroke/seizure of some sort. I think he may have died of a broken heart when they took away his "girlfriend". RIP dear one. You gave joy to many :(
Claudia

[Kirsten]

Yes, he and his twin brother were rejected by their mother, and the twin died. After that, the zoo decided to hand raise Knut. He had such a strong bond with his animal keeper, but while polar bear cubs stay with their mother for two years, the two them had to be seperated much earlier because Knut grew too big for his human. And then in 2008, Thomas Doerflein died before Knut was even two years old. He always seemed to be kind of lost after that. I don't know how he felt about Gianna, the female they brought from Munich, but I figure if he enjoyed her company, it must have been another bummer for him when she went back to Munich. The last months, he spent with his mother Tosca and two other females, and all of them tended to mob him.

So far, they don't know why he has passed, but I've got a feeling he died of a broken heart.

This afternoon, they showed these old Knut shows on tv, you could see how happy he was with his keeper. It was strange to see this and to know at the same time that both of them have left this world...

[Alysser]

This is such sad news. :( May Knut rest in peace, and now be reunited with his beloved keeper.

[momcat]

I adore polar bears and I do remember Knut's rough start in life. Hearing the news of his passing was heartbreaking. There's no doubt that the trainer who loved Knut so much met him at the Bridge, what a reunion that must have been.

RIP Knut, you will always be loved by many of us and you will never be forgotten :love:

[Kirsten]

I really do believe that he felt lost here on Earth after his keeper was gone. :(

Today, they'll do the autopsy on him. There's obviously a video of his death on youtube, but I don't have the heart to watch it...

[Kirsten]

Just heard that according to first autopsy results, Knut has drowned. :(

Zoo visitors said he was trembling and turning in circles before he fell into the water. Could have been a stroke or a seizure. Some people suspect he could have suffered from epilepsia which is obviously running in his dad's family. That would be especially tragic as he could have been saved if he didn't fall into the water. It's so sad! :(

[phesina]

Oh that is so sad. I am so very sorry, little Knut. :love::love::love::love::love::love::love::love:

[moosmom]

Such an awful tragedy. :(:(:(

RIP sweet little boy!!! The world loved you!

[Marigold2]

You came sweet boy and you left a mark. You changed the world and changed many people's opinions about polar bears. You will be forgotten.

[sasvermont]

I don't recall which station showed it, but there was a video of Knut's final minutes on TV last night. It showed him going out of control, in circles and then falling into the water. I was surprised to see it on TV. I assume he drowned. It did look as though he was having a seizure of sorts. Very sad.

[KentuckyJim]

My daughter Lori told me of this yesterday and to see such a heartfelt outpouring here makes me know there are still a lot of nice folks in the world. May the Lord bless all of you who wrote nice words here. The Epistle James in the Bible speaks of how damaging words can to be one's self and other, how poisonous the tongue can be. It also speaks of how LIFE can be in the words of a person. May we all speak LIFE, even when there is a situation of death. God sees our humanness in that.
May the Lord Jesus be in the hearts of you all.
My love to all in my Savior, Jesus,
Jim Grayson
Lexington, Kentucky
U.S.A.

[Kirsten]

First autopsy results show that there was something wrong with his brain... :( Poor boy!