Knut lived in Berlin's zoo. He was 4 and raised by zookeepers since a cub after his mother rejected him. He was the darling of Berlin, an international superstar, a victory story of beating the odds. The cause of death is unknown.
The Berlin Zoo's bear-curator, Heiner Klos, said that Knut was found floating in the water in his cage.
Knut started life in the Berlin Zoo, the first polar bear born there in thirty years. For indefinite reasons, the cub was deserted by his mother, and was raised by his trainer Thomas Dorflein.
As the only polar bear ever raised by humans, Knut was an direct sensation. Ticket sales at the Zoo doubled in Knut's first year, and his furry face could be found on everything from postcards to stuffed animals to bank debit cards.
Animal rights groups initially opposed the idea of humans raising a polar bear, saying he should have been left for dead.
But Knut's sweet face - and the clear affection between him and his trainer Dorflein - quickly won over skeptics.
The Berlin Zoo's bear-curator, Heiner Klos, said that Knut was found floating in the water in his cage.
Knut started life in the Berlin Zoo, the first polar bear born there in thirty years. For indefinite reasons, the cub was deserted by his mother, and was raised by his trainer Thomas Dorflein.
As the only polar bear ever raised by humans, Knut was an direct sensation. Ticket sales at the Zoo doubled in Knut's first year, and his furry face could be found on everything from postcards to stuffed animals to bank debit cards.
Animal rights groups initially opposed the idea of humans raising a polar bear, saying he should have been left for dead.
But Knut's sweet face - and the clear affection between him and his trainer Dorflein - quickly won over skeptics.
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