R.I.P. Knut

Severus Snape

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YahooNews said:
World mourns loveable polar bear Knut
By Liz Goodwin


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The only polar bear to ever be raised entirely by humans—and to have his own Vanity Fair cover photo shoot—died suddenly on Saturday in front of hundreds of his many fans. Knut was only four years old when he collapsed, leaving grieving admirers all over the world to cope with his early death.
The zoo has ordered a necropsy to determine why the bear died so young. Most polar bears live 20 to 30 years in captivity.
The Associated Press reports that mourners flocked to the zoo on Sunday "laying down red roses and white stuffed polar bears, lighting candles or putting up pictures of Knut with personal messages for him." Children wrote farewell poems for him, and a group of "die-hard" fans stayed all day, many of them crying. "I've been crying nonstop since I heard about his death," Ingrid Rommel told the AP. She said visiting Knut weekly since 2006 helped her get over her husband's death.
Photos: See Knut grow up, from cute cub to big bear

REUTERS/Hannibal Hanschke/File photo
Animal rights activists are raising questions about Knut's treatment at the zoo, saying zookeepers turned a blind eye to the cub's problems because he was such a popular draw for the facility. In 2007, the Berlin zoo's profits spiked 27 percent from Knut, who brought in millions of dollars in revenue. A spokeswoman for People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) told the Daily Mail Knut was being bullied by three female bears—Tosca, Nancy and Katjuscha—and should have had his own space away from them.
"PETA Germany repeatedly asked zoo authorities to move Knut away from the three females to a different location. His premature death could possibly have been avoided," PETA said.
Peter Ewins, an arctic species specialist with the World Wildlife Fund, told ABC News some animals react badly to captivity. "Just the effects of being in captivity, it's more of neurological, psychological thing that affects some animals," he said.
Knut was raised by zookeeper Thomas Doerflein after the cub's mother rejected him. Doerflein died from a heart attack in 2008, around the same time that one of Knut's keepers warned he was becoming a "psycho" bear. Doerflein had been banned from playing with Knut because he had become an adult bear and it was too dangerous, leaving Knut sad and lonely.
[Photos: See more of the touching memorials to Knut]
"Knut needs to leave Berlin Zoo, the sooner the better. He's had so much contact with humans in his young life that he doesn't realize he's a polar bear, he needs to get used to a life without the people who brought him up," keeper Markus Roebke told German tabloid Bild Zeitung in 2008, according to ABC. Roebke said the bear was addicted to fame. "He actually cries out or whimpers if he sees that there is no audience outside his compound ready to 'ooh' and 'aah' at him," he said.
Meanwhile, the famous bear's fans on Twitter and Facebook are asking why the bear died, and celebrating his short life. "You were far too young to go. You touched everybody when you were the sweetest baby. Now you are missed by so many people! RIP, sweet, big boy!" wrote one mourner

Link to original article: http://news.yahoo.com/s/yblog_thelo...lookout/world-mourns-loveable-polar-bear-knut

The part about the woman who visited him to get over her husband's death really touched me in a strange way.

I could also really relate to the part where Knut was banned from interacting with Thomas Doerflein. I could understand why he would deteriorate and turn into a "psycho" bear. Most people wouldn't understand because they fit in to their society, but Knut didn't fit in with polar bears, and I don't fit in with most people. It sounds to me as though what Knut and Doerflein had was something beautiful, and people just always seem so keen to destroy beautiful things.

With that said, R.I.P. Knut. :(
 
Poor thing.........first rejection......and now this..........:no:


Nothing seems to be going right for the Polar Bears.............:no:
 
I was very shock when I had heard about Knut on my one local 11 pm news station. I was really shock and horrified when I saw the horrible video of Knut dying. I remember back when I was in first grade I saw polar bears up close at my closest city's zoo. And I had L.O.V.E. polar bears ever since. I am having these horrible thoughts now that someone might have poison Knut's food. But I really don't want to believe that. :rip: Knut I really hope of what really happen to you is found out soon.
 
I was very shock when I had heard about Knut on my one local 11 pm news station. I was really shock and horrified when I saw the horrible video of Knut dying. I remember back when I was in first grade I saw polar bears up close at my closest city's zoo. And I had L.O.V.E. polar bears ever since. I am having these horrible thoughts now that someone might have poison Knut's food. But I really don't want to believe that. :rip: Knut I really hope of what really happen to you is found out soon.

Oh yeah, I almost cried when I saw the video..
I found it horrible to see how Knut died..
It would have been terrible if Knut died of poisoned food..
Why would someone want to hurt a beautiful polar bear...

And those comments below the youtube video are a disgrace to the world..

I cry because I feel they are abit like me..my family...
:cry:
 
Yes, it's very sad.:( R.I.P Knut

eisbaer-knut-001_21926i.jpg
 
I just saw the video. It appeared as though he was having some convulsions before he collapsed.
 
I am having these horrible thoughts now that someone might have poison Knut's food.
:(


This may have happened (I do not know if this is can happen, but some visitors might have poisoned food thrown at him or maybe he had some disease and was not detected) and I think he probably was not being correctly cared by the zoo. That was a big failure of the zoo. :doh: I'm wondering where is the veterinary/biologists who cared for him. They could explain what happened.

Knut was so beautiful. :cry: :heart:
 
.. I won't watch the video...

Beautiful baby... I hope there is a Heaven for animals too, they're innocent beings, because they're not endowed with reason or conscience... Rest in peace, white angel. ..
 
Poor little Knut
It isn´t easy for icebears on this planet nowadays
I think there is a heaven where humans and animals live together in harmony
 
Animals have feelings and emotions, feel pain, happiness, sorrow, fear.

An animal has a spirit and a soul. I believe there is only one heaven and we will all be there.

And when I die, I hope all my animals will be waiting for me at the Rainbow Bridge and we will cross over, together once more.
 
Well, there are those who say we make our own afterlife by what we believe when we are alive. If there is any truth to that, mine will be populated with animals and very few people. If one believes death is final, for that person it will be. Who's to say the right of it? I do know that after the death of my beloved cat, I did see a glimpse of him in my kitchen.. And then after the death of my dog, a quick sight of him under my bedroom window.
I think it is easy to believe in 'nothing'. But to believe in 'something', that takes work.
In any case, eventually we will all find out.
 
Well, there are those who say we make our own afterlife by what we believe when we are alive. If there is any truth to that, mine will be populated with animals and very few people. If one believes death is final, for that person it will be. Who's to say the right of it? I do know that after the death of my beloved cat, I did see a glimpse of him in my kitchen.. And then after the death of my dog, a quick sight of him under my bedroom window.
I think it is easy to believe in 'nothing'. But to believe in 'something', that takes work.
In any case, eventually we will all find out.


We will...


Very sorry to hear about your pet animals...

I have started to liken many of them to angels incarnate.. due to their special 'language', their inability to communicate like us humans do, their silence and wonderful beauty, their innocence... The fact that truly many miracles have occurred thanks to animals, like them saving people from dying and all those mindblowing accounts of people. ... I really do believe this. ..
 
Don't be sad it's over, the memories will be with us forever, we were blessed we shared these times...
Knut.jpg
Knut2.jpg



Knut1.jpg
Knut4.jpg


Knut3.jpg
Knut6.jpg


Knut7.jpg



Rest in peace Knut!!! Gone much too soon!
 
Does anyone know what caused the death of Knut? Was an autopsy done? :scratch:

http://www.dw-world.de/dw/article/0,,14936008,00.html

Another article I read suggested he had encephalitis. It was pretty apparent from the video that he was having a neurological problem at the time of his death.

An interesting question that this brings up is whether or not his mother sensed (maybe chemically) that there was something wrong with him at birth and rejected him based on that.

R.I.P i have seen him =(

You mean you visited him at the Berlin Zoo? What was it like?
 
Money.............
http://www.care2.com/causes/animal-welfare/blog/should-knut-the-polar-bear-be-stuffed-and-displayed-in-a-museum/
 
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