Polar bear Knut is dead! :-(

[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

[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!