Critics Blame Zoo for Beloved Polar Bear Knut’s Untimely Death
- Posted on March 20, 2011 at 4:56pm by
Emily Esfahani Smith
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The beloved polar bear named Knut unexpectedly died yesterday in front of hundreds of visitors at the Berlin Zoo, his home since cubhood, when his mother abandoned him.
The celebrity bear died before his time: he was only four years old. Most polar bears live to be 15-18 years old.
On Saturday, Knut keeled over unexpectedly in front of visitors, fell backwards into the water and floated, lifeless, in the moat surrounding the enclosure he shared with his mother Tosca and female bears Nancy and Katyusha.
While a post-mortem will examine the cause of Knut’s death next week, some critics are blaming the Berlin Zoo for the bear’s untimely end.
Animal rights groups are denouncing Knut’s capitivity in a zoo, saying that that unnatural life led to his early death:
‘Berlin Zoo abused Knut as a marketing tool, without consideration for a polar bear’s crucial needs,’ said the president of the German Animal Rights Association, Wolfgang Apel.
‘Knut’s short and tortured life shows again that polar bears do not belong in a zoo, even if they are called Knut,’ he added.
A PETA spokesperson told TMZ:
His premature death could possibly have been avoided. Polar bears don’t belong in captivity.
The PETA rep added that Knut had been “terrorized” by three female polar bears–a fact that the zoo was allegedly aware of, but failed to act upon. “PETA Germany repeatedly asked zoo authorities to move Knut away from the three females to a different location.”






















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Comments (93)
powhatan
Posted on March 20, 2011 at 7:32pmSiezures happen…maybe mama bear knew something was amiss and that is why she left him…who knows…
Report Post »TBTNK9
Posted on March 21, 2011 at 9:20amIf I had to guess, I would say that Knut was bullied by the other females for the same reason he was rejected by his mother; there was something inherently wrong with him. We can nurture orphans and give them extra time on this earth, but in nature this bear would not have survived. I don’t think his having those 4 years in captivity can be considered “cruel”, as I think he was comfortable with the world he knew. PETA is an animal “rights” organization that believes no one should be allowed to have a pet, not to be confused with animal “welfare” organizations that believe in taking the best care of our animals as we can.
Report Post »NeoKong
Posted on March 20, 2011 at 7:31pmA sad story. I can’t bear….to read it.
Report Post »jim
Posted on March 20, 2011 at 6:55pmWe are born, we suffer, and we die. I love polar bears. They are a study in contradiction. They truly are the most ruthless, violent, savage animals on the face of the earth… beside humans. They will eat their own young, and everything in sight… but, yet… they’re so cuddly. Cuddly, cuddly, coochy coo… AAAHAAHAHH…!!! (Silence…)
Report Post »chips1
Posted on March 20, 2011 at 6:33pmKnut was being bullied? Do the zoo officials belong to the teachers union? Sounds fishy to me.
Report Post »jarasan
Posted on March 20, 2011 at 6:28pmTheir coats turn green because of the algae in the bear pond. Their coats are basically translucent and can become dyed by environmental factors, I saw this on The Discovery Channel! Sad the bear passed away I wonder how many people years is a bear year?????? I guess 7 or 8 human years per polar bear year. They probably didn’t feed him enough fresh live harp seal pups and he died of seal blubber vitamin deficiency? Maybe he needed to get out a little more on some ice floes etc?????? Maybe someone showed him a picture of Al Gore and he freaking had a knipschitglobalmeltdown??????????
Report Post »Billsocal
Posted on March 20, 2011 at 6:26pmI am sure the officials at the Berlin Zoo made sure threat Knuts was well taken care of. He was what you call a money maker for the zoo. I am sure people would go to the Zoo just to see Knuts. Even if he was well taken care of mother nature just wanted him for herself..
Report Post »einwolfsrudel
Posted on March 20, 2011 at 6:23pmFirst,
Report Post »Let me say that I in no way endorse or advocate the ridiculous positions taken by PETA or any other animal rights groups. Animals cannot be given rights because they cannot be held responsible for their actions. With rights comes responsibilities, only the loony left believes otherwise.
However, I do not endorse nor do I support public zoos of anykind. I have spent a night or two in confinement and anyone who has will tell you it is no fun at all. Even though the time I spent there was short, it is still frightening to know that you cannot simply walk out the door and do as you please. I deserved to be incarcerated at the times I was, but animals did nothing to be placed into the same environment. Simply being put into a confined area, regarless of the size, for the amusement or curiousity of another, should be an abhorrent to any freedom loving human beings. I know they are only animals, but they don’t deserve to be treated like attractions at a freak show. The didn’t do anything to deserve it!
But, what do you do with a poor baby animal that knows no way of life other than that of living in a cage? I mean, could you really set Knut free into the wild to fend for himself? Some of it is instinct brought about by millenia of evolution. But some of it has to be taught by their parents and it has to be conducted in the wild (wow, I guess that is another reason to dislike zoos). Unfortunately it seems like that poor bear was destined to a short life no matter what happened to him.
I am not trying to degrade anyone who likes animals or who studies them, I feel that is a great and noble cause. But we have to stop kidding ourselves. Animals deserve to live in the wild with nature and if you really want to see them, then go on a safari or simply take a nature walk into the wilderness. Pets are fine, I have one myself, but a caged animal that you have no responsibilty for is not a pet, it is an unnatural condition brought about for simple human conveince.
Sorry if I got on the soapbox.
justawhoaman
Posted on March 20, 2011 at 9:43pmSoapbox is an excuse…
In the first place, you were put in confinement as an adult. You had experience outside of confinement. This bear was NUTURED in confinement, therefore did not have any other experience to tell it to be afraid or even slightly concerned about its situation. Don’t try to put animals into human experiences… they simply aren’t comparable.
Meanwhile, I concur with those who have suggested that the reason that this bear was rejected by its mother may very well have been for reasons humans simply do not understand. I raise many types of animals and I am often amazed at what beautiful little babies I have to bring up as orphans because their mothers rejected them only to find that they have serious problems later on that I have to treat (or face when they don’t make it). It is as if their mothers know more than me (sarcasm intended)… I know that I am human, but that doesn’t make me know more than the animals that I tend… or God, that tends us all.
Report Post »joan k
Posted on March 20, 2011 at 6:22pmMother nature knows best. Apparently so did Knut’s mom. He most likely had something wrong with him and that is why she failed to nurture him. Someone earlier mentioned they saw him have some kind of seizure from a live videorecording that was made at the time he died. I bet anything it was something genetic.
Report Post »smokie
Posted on March 21, 2011 at 4:52amI saw the clip, and it did look like a seizure, or a stroke. Perhaps he’s had these all along, and this one was fatal. Epilepsy dogs sense seizures coming, why could not a female bear sense also sense this in a cub? Perhaps he did have four years extra.
Report Post »YoungLester
Posted on March 20, 2011 at 6:13pmPost-Mortem Report
Report Post »Cause of Death: Global Warming
Signed: Al Gore
Nigel2
Posted on March 20, 2011 at 6:02pmPolar bears don’t belong in captivity. But PETA activists do.
PETA= People Eating Tasty Animals??
Besides, if God didn’t intend for people to eat animals, he wouldn’t have made them out of meat:-)
Report Post »chips1
Posted on March 20, 2011 at 6:44pmIf God didn’t want us to eat cows, he would have made them faster.. (Madigan)
Report Post »KarenKat
Posted on March 20, 2011 at 5:59pmOver a hundred thousand babies are aborted in America… Where is that news story!
Report Post »UpstateNYConservative
Posted on March 20, 2011 at 5:57pmWhy did Knut’s mother reject him–because she couldn’t have an abortion instead?
The bear was born sickly, apparently, and in the wild would have been left to die. That’s how animals maintain the survivability of their species, letting the weak die. It’s just that simple. Knut was, in a sense, artificially kept alive. Sad that he couldn’t have lived longer, and hopefully wasn’t suffering, but this seems natural selection at work. I can’t imagine such a major attraction being willfully neglected or allowed to be injured.
These PETA types don’t know squat except their politics and how to raise more money, turning every sad thing to some kind of advantage for their own gain.
Report Post »teddie888
Posted on March 20, 2011 at 5:52pmThere is no need for zoos nowadays . They are no better than looking at a picture as they don’t have room to move freely . Most zoos are sad . Kids see a false vision of how a wild animal lives. They are better off watching Animal Planet or national Geographic and see animals in their natural environment. Kids learn nothing watching a wild animal sitting in a cage
Report Post »Taquoshi
Posted on March 20, 2011 at 11:32pmWhile wildlife reserves are great, it is well known that in Africa, poachers are killing off elephants and other protected species. Also, many times people buy exotic pets that get too big and they can’t be released into the wild, so zoos often take them. Ever wonder what happened to all of Michael Jackson’s pets???
Many times, the zoos are able to work on breeding programs to strengthen endangered species. Also, having zoos allow people who will never go to far flung places to actually see the animals. The visitors frequently become aware of conservation efforts and help with fund raising for those efforts.
Having the animals available also allows scientists to study them in a confined environment, which helps with treatments, both for the animals and for humans.
There’s alot more going on at zoos than one would think.
Report Post »janedough1
Posted on March 20, 2011 at 5:44pmWhat part of in the wild he would have died when his mother abandoned him does PETA not get? Mother animals do abandon their young, and frequently because they sense there is something wrong with the infant. Gee PETA, do you suppose just maybe he died of whatever caused his mother to abandon him in the first place?
Report Post »sissykatz
Posted on March 20, 2011 at 5:50pmJanedough1
You are correct, I do believe the animals belong in their own habitat but as you say there is usually a reason a mother abandons the young professionals say they can just sense these things.So I guess he did have 4yrs he may not have had.
Report Post »bjtribb
Posted on March 21, 2011 at 12:19amWhile I was sitting here reading the posts that came to me also. The mother might have realized that he would not make it and just left him to die. Animals know things we do not.
Report Post »Deutscher
Posted on March 20, 2011 at 5:44pmI have been to this zoo several times and saw Knut once. Sad I was looking forward to going back when I’m there in may. The whole country loved the little fella and there was even a popular song written about him. I’m sure a through investigation will follow. It is an older zoo but it seemed very well maintained.
Report Post »Schlafs gut lieber Knut.
BeeGirl
Posted on March 20, 2011 at 5:41pmPETA are a load of Knut jobs
Report Post »TheCelt
Posted on March 22, 2011 at 2:13pmAgreed. I don’t trust them.
Report Post »ProudInfidel
Posted on March 20, 2011 at 5:38pmIf PETA is right, then surly they can produce statistics on the life span of P~bears showing those in captivity with lady bears die sooner than do P~bears in the wild. I would bet that the Zoo P~bears live LONGER lives than do their wild counterparts.
Report Post »Non-sequitur
Posted on March 20, 2011 at 6:02pmWe’re talking about an organization that calls fish “Sea-kittens” and produces fine works like these:
http://www.vegetariansareevil.com/images/mommykills.jpg
Yes, those are official. Yes, those are up on the official PETA site. Yes, they are as crazy as they look.
Report Post »Broadsided
Posted on March 20, 2011 at 5:36pmLet me get this straight, The bear would still be alive if he had been left in natural habitat?
Report Post »Non-sequitur
Posted on March 20, 2011 at 5:47pmWell, you know that being abandoned by his mother would’ve only made him stronger! That would be a real macho-bear now!
(Also, PETA is caha-raaaazy!)
Report Post »Psychosis
Posted on March 20, 2011 at 5:23pmi call dibbs on the fur for my new winter coat !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Report Post »Exrepublisheep
Posted on March 20, 2011 at 6:38pmoof
Report Post »Non-sequitur
Posted on March 20, 2011 at 5:13pmWhile I’m all for humane treatment of animals, PETA is crazy as hell. Can’t imagine them being any saner in Germany.
Report Post »smokie
Posted on March 20, 2011 at 7:18pmIn all honesty, if he were abandoned by his mother in the wild, he would’ve been another bears lunch a long time ago. I’m not hep on bears in captivity, nor am I happy when idiots camp out in Alaska and talk sing song to them.
Report Post »Bears and humans, to me, don’t make a good mix. One always ends up nixing out the other.
Thus the invention of Scotties, the almost controllable bear.
parmajohn
Posted on March 20, 2011 at 5:12pm10000 +- dead 20,000 missing In Japan 3rd war started Obuma vacationing in Rio The list Goes on and on…..Its Just a Bear Folks Maybe he is the lucky one RIP
Report Post »ISeeDanger.com
Posted on March 20, 2011 at 5:11pmLet’s see, how could we make the weekend any more draining?
Let’s have a cute baby bear die…
I need to go have a drink.
http://www.ISeeDanger.com
Report Post »Showtime
Posted on March 20, 2011 at 5:20pmYou may have mine — as a double.
Report Post »I’m an alcoholic — can’t drink (anymore).
Rob_M
Posted on March 20, 2011 at 5:02pmWhat are they thinking? They were waterboarding him after hours?
Report Post »Tnredneck
Posted on March 20, 2011 at 5:20pmThey should have sent the female bears to sensitivity training classes.
Report Post »Showtime
Posted on March 20, 2011 at 7:14pmThey should have waterboarded the animal rights activists for suggesting that Knut be given a lethal injection!
Report Post »Gold Coin & Economic News
Posted on March 20, 2011 at 5:02pmKnut death is heartbreaking. Regardless of why it happened, it is incredibly sad.
Report Post »Showtime
Posted on March 20, 2011 at 5:18pmBut not nearly as sad as having Obama occupy the White House.
Everybody (not you Gold Coin) is busy pointing a finger at the zoo for the cause of Knut’s death — before the necropsy is performed. Why have the necropsy when we are blessed with all these know-it-alls? Just wondering.
Report Post »Snowleopard {gallery of cat folks}
Posted on March 20, 2011 at 5:24pmShowtime:
The only way I will find the zoo at fault is if there is true criminal negligance to be found; I understand that sometimes aniamils just die for sudden and unexpected reasons. The examination I hope will tell more when all results come in, though it may be something as simple as a heart defect that would have been difficult to find in normal examinations.
Report Post »sissykatz
Posted on March 20, 2011 at 5:46pmI think the bears are beautiful and intriquing but I do not believe they belong in a zoo. mho
Report Post »Showtime
Posted on March 20, 2011 at 7:12pm@Snow -
“The only way I will find the zoo at fault is if there is true criminal negligence to be found;”
Same here. But those pointing fingers at the zoo must know it all!
@SissyKatz ~
Report Post »I feel the same way about bears in a zoo, but this polar bear looks like he’s sitting in SNOW!
Brvnkaerv
Posted on March 20, 2011 at 9:02pmNow there is a vacancy at the Zoo. Lets put Pelosi and Reed in there. I would pay real money to throw smelt at them.
Report Post »SquirrelNYC
Posted on March 20, 2011 at 10:30pmAgreed, Gold Coin. I was sad to see the headline on the Fox News website. Hopefully there will be a definite answer when the postmortem is completed as to what happened to the guy. Polar bears are stunning animals, and zoos are great places to bring people close to them and other wildlife that people might never get the chance to see otherwise. Since this did have to happen to Knut for whatever reason, I’d much rather hear that his passing was due to natural causes.
I hope Knut is roaming an Arctic landscape of some sort in the heavens, and that he is happy.
Report Post »Snowleopard {gallery of cat folks}
Posted on March 20, 2011 at 4:58pmSorry the little guy is gone, and if there is true negligence, then let the law deal with it. I have to guess Michael Moore must have come for a visit and the poor bear died of fright at the sight of him.
Report Post »Gold Coin & Economic News
Posted on March 20, 2011 at 5:04pmI can just imagine how traumatic this must have been for families with their kids there. Go to see the prized celebrity bear and the poor thing dies right in front of everyone.
Report Post »dr_funk
Posted on March 20, 2011 at 5:10pmAll the global warming hysteria gave the poor guy a heart attack…
Report Post »LIBSALWAYSLIE
Posted on March 20, 2011 at 5:10pmGood one Snow, He is scary looking.
Report Post »thegrassroots
Posted on March 20, 2011 at 5:14pmIn the photos of him as an adult, he certainly didn’t look healthy and cared for. Whoever‘s investigating Knut’s death needs to take a hard look at the whole zoo.
Report Post »cheezwhiz
Posted on March 20, 2011 at 5:21pmThese animal rights activists are the same people who wanted to kill Knut in 2007, right ?
Report Post »Quote
Animal rights activists argue that he should be given a lethal injection rather than brought up suffering the humiliation of being treated as a domestic pet.
End quote
From ‘We want this baby polar bear dead’ say animal rights lobby , Daily Mail
Non-sequitur
Posted on March 20, 2011 at 5:26pm@Cheezwhiz
That would only reinforce my belief that PETA is crazy. Link?
Report Post »Creestof
Posted on March 20, 2011 at 5:35pmI just watched live video of Knut’s last few minutes alive, shot by a visitor to the zoo…it is on LiveLeaks. The bear had a siezure of some type. He stumbles in a circle for over a minute, like a dog chasing his tail in slow motion…at times one of his legs does not seem to be working and is tucked up into his body. Then he stops circling and from mid body to his head he starts shaking as if in an epileptic siezure…and then just falls onto his right side and slides into the water…where I am assuming he drowned if not dead already.
My family had a dog who had siezures almost exactly the same way. All we could do was stroke him and talk to him so he would not be scared.
What a sad shame : (
Report Post »anutter
Posted on March 20, 2011 at 5:37pmHe was abandoned. He would not have survived in the wild. He was also the zoo’s star attraction. Why would you mistreat your cash cow? You wouldn’t. I’m no expert on the matter, but I would go along with stress theory. Just too many peeps crowding around to see him.
Report Post »cheezwhiz
Posted on March 20, 2011 at 5:37pmNon-sequitur
Report Post »That would only reinforce my belief that PETA is crazy. Link?
—————-
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-443343/We-want-baby-polar-bear-dead-say-animal-rights-lobby.html
Ruler4You
Posted on March 20, 2011 at 5:39pmAnimal right activists know that all animals live long lengthy lives of total fulfillment in the wild. Young or youthful deaths are nearly unheard of in the wild because of the superior quality of life and low level of competition between both animals of the same species and other animal species for the same resources. (sarcasm intended).
Animal rights activists believe that mankind is responsible for all animal deaths at any and all stages of life whether in the wild or in captivity. That’s because of their superior intellectual capacity. Reason and logic rule their world, their conclusions rock solid. That’s why the rest of the world pays no attention to them?
Report Post »Spare me. These guys are idiots. It may well be that captivity had an ill effect on the bear. It may be that the bear would have been long dead in the wild by now. Stupid seems to be the only thing ‘animal rights activists’ really have in common.
Taquoshi
Posted on March 20, 2011 at 5:42pmOkay, take your choice:
First they wanted him dead -
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/17703212/ns/world_news-world_environment
http://www.buzzle.com/articles/animal-rights-activists-say-baby-polar-bear-should-be-killed.html
Failing that, they wanted him castrated:
http://www.independent.co.uk/environment/nature/knut-should-be-castrated-say-animal-activists-1915809.html
http://www.thelocal.de/society/20100303-25621.html
As the saying goes, “With friends like these, who needs enemies?”
Report Post »CatB
Posted on March 20, 2011 at 5:53pmPoor Knut had mental problems .. would not be surprised to find out he had phyical ones also .. perhaps that will explain it.
Report Post »mattwakulik
Posted on March 20, 2011 at 5:57pmal gore will say that it was too hot!
Report Post »Showtime
Posted on March 20, 2011 at 7:05pm@cheezwhiz
Report Post »Posted on March 20, 2011 at 5:21pm
These animal rights activists are the same people who wanted to kill Knut in 2007, right ?
Quote
Animal rights activists argue that he should be given a lethal injection rather than brought up suffering the humiliation of being treated as a domestic pet.
End quote
From ‘We want this baby polar bear dead’ say animal rights lobby , Daily Mail
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Say whaaaaaat?
“Animal rights activists” DECIDES that the animal has no rights TO LIVE?
And the leftists are calling conservatives crazy?
thethrown216
Posted on March 20, 2011 at 11:32pmBest. Art. Ever.
Report Post »jzs
Posted on March 20, 2011 at 11:35pmThere‘s a psychologists’ test called “free association.” The psychologist says a word, and then the patient says the first word that comes to their mind. The test is supposed to detect the underlying pathology of the patient by showing a pattern in their responses. Here’s how it works on the Blaze:
Psychologist: bear. Patient: Obama
Psychologist: flower. Patient: Obama
Psychologist: white. Patient: Obama
Psychologist: war. Patient: Obama
Psychologist: hate. Patient: Obama
Psychologist: food. Patient: Obama
Psychologist: school. Patient: Obama
Psychologist: death. Patient: Obama
Psychologist: religion. Patient: Obama
Psychologist: job. Patient: Obama
Psychologist: insecurity. Patient: Obama
Psychologist: fear. Patient: Obama
Psychologist: black. Patient: Obama
Psychologist: Okay, I get the picture. Got anything else on your mind? Is there anything in your unhappy life that you can’t blame Obama for? Did all this fear and discontent and depression really begin on January 21, 2008? Do you think there could be something else going on?
Report Post »trolltrainer
Posted on March 20, 2011 at 11:52pmThe Blaze may have pulled a post or two, I may have missed something, or maybe there is something in the following posts, which I have not read yet…
But JZS is the first mention of “Obama” in here…
Kind of a silly WTF??? moment I guess…
Report Post »Czar Casm
Posted on March 21, 2011 at 12:42amWow JZS, you are so smart! You really nailed it. Didn‘t see obama mentioned anywhere but I bet you couldn’t wait to use that brilliant observation. Had to get it out there. I am a changed man now for it. Man, people who are critical of obama are so stupid! I mean, look at how well things are going! America has never been this well respected.
Report Post »GONESURFING
Posted on March 21, 2011 at 4:04amPolar bears are dangerous.
Report Post »walkwithme1966
Posted on March 21, 2011 at 6:31amSorry but to me as an adult bear he looked not in very good health. He was also raised by handlers which might have has something to do with it – don’t ask me what because I have no idea.
Report Post »http://wp.me/pYLB7-Lr
what4
Posted on March 21, 2011 at 9:35amIt may be the mother knew there was a defect with the cub when he was born, explaning the rejection!
Report Post »WhiteFang
Posted on March 21, 2011 at 4:04pmPolar bears belong on the ice, not in a zoo!
Report Post »