Pretty stinking cute, huh? I haven’t checked at HotAir, but I do know that Allah has a soft spot for this little fella. Anyway, it turns out that Knute’s keeper isn’t going to continue making appearances for the public any longer with the cute little cub. That’s right, Knute is going solo. From FOX news:
The show is over: The Berlin Zoo’s fast-growing polar bear cub, Knut, won’t be appearing anymore with the keeper who raised him.
The zoo said Monday that it has ended 7-month-old Knut’s twice-daily public appearances with keeper Thomas Doerflein.
The playful pair have delighted audiences since Knut — then an irresistibly cute 20-pound cub — made his first public appearance in late March.
• Click here for Knut’s home page at the Berlin Zoo Web site.
Now nearing about 110 pounds, the boisterous bear, who will remain on public view, will have his enclosure all to himself.
“Mr. Doerflein’s safety counts first of all, of course,” zoo spokeswoman Regine Damm said. The zoo also has Knut’s independence in mind, she added, as it prepares the bear to “associate with other bears and not with other people.”
Born Dec. 5, Knut has been raised by Doerflein and other zoo staff since his mother rejected him and another cub that died. Knut went on public show March 23.
• Click here to visit FOXNews.com’s Natural Science Center.
Doerflein said he remains on hand for Knut, although he will no longer play in public with the growing predator.
“This doesn’t mean that I will never play with Knut again; it just means there are no fixed times anymore,” he was quoted as saying by the daily Berliner Zeitung. “I am always there for him. Knut is still a child; he needs me.”
Doerflein said, however, that he feels “burnt out” after months of frolicking with Knut, and made clear that he has not always enjoyed being a celebrity in his own right.
“That is the worst thing. People want autographs, to touch me,” he said. “When I am with my girlfriend, they invite me [for a drink]; when I say ‘no,’ they get aggressive.”
Don’t be alarmed, I’m sure this is all play:)
Man, for a future huge-scary-predator, that thing is about as cute as it gets.
By: tieki rae on July 9, 2007
at 8:48 pm
Hey Tieki!
Good to hear from you kiddo:) I guess I should blog on cute polar bears more often
By: wytammic on July 9, 2007
at 8:53 pm
Hmmm, maybe Knut should tour with Mother McCree – I mean Sheehan – I’d pay to see Knut “frolic” with her….
By: ScottG on July 9, 2007
at 9:01 pm
Hey Scott,
I think that would be a better job for Knute’s parents
By: wytammic on July 9, 2007
at 9:24 pm
Polar bears rock. I love when you can watch them inside their tanks and see them swimming underwater. The Tulsa Zoo had an exhibit like this, as does the Central Park Zoo.
By: Neil on July 10, 2007
at 5:20 am
That looks like fun, polar bear wrasslin’.
By: totaltransformation on July 10, 2007
at 6:13 am
I love watching polar bears in the zoo too Neil. I hear they are pretty stinking mean, but we know better with Knute
Yes, TT, it looks like a blast. Especially when the cute Knute you are wrasslin’ is such a superstar!
By: wytammic on July 10, 2007
at 7:25 am
Wy…….how long before that little critter can take a lumberjack out with one swipe> …………. steve
By: Next Stop Lauderdale on July 10, 2007
at 1:15 pm
Steve,
How long before global warming destroys that little critter’s natural habitat? lol just kidding!
Not sure on the lumberjack riddle. I think as long as lumberjacks stay out of Knute’s pen at the zoo, no lumberjacks will be taken out?
By: wytammic on July 10, 2007
at 1:21 pm
Hey Wy!…nice post girl!..dang who knew they were predators?..lol
By: Angel on July 10, 2007
at 8:25 pm
Hi Angel –
Well, Steve seems to think that cute little Knute might have a taste for lumberjacks.
By: wytammic on July 10, 2007
at 8:55 pm
You’ll like this polar bear link – good videos and evidence of how Al Gore & Co. manufactured the myth about polar bears losing their homes due to global warming.
Neil, I think you might have forgot the link?
By: Neil on July 11, 2007
at 2:53 pm