Knut the Polar Bear Is Dead

[Casino67]

People.com:

With a blue sky and the scent of spring in the air, Saturday afternoon in Berlin was the perfect time to visit the city's zoo, but for some 600 visitors it turned into a horror: Before their eyes, Knut the polar bear collapsed, then floated dead in the water of his pen.

"He was by himself in his compound, he was in the water, and then he was dead," Berlin Zoo bear keeper Heiner Kls told the Associated Press. An autopsy will be performed on the 4-year-old mammal to determine the cause of death. Polar bears in captivity have been known to live more than 30 years.

The city is in shock. Berlin Mayor Klaus Wowereit told the tabloid B.Z., "This is sad news. We were all so fond of him."

For more about Knut's life in the spotlight and to leave messages regarding his death, visit PEOPLEPets.com

//End//

[Valin]

Casino67

 

One less 1,000lbs carnivore in the world...I don't see the problem.

 

[Casino67]

I wonder if AlGore is going to claim GW killed him?

 

Valin, I agree. He wouldn't have been so likable had been loose in Berlin, eating the populace.

[pollyannaish]

You know, Knut was a cute little guy and I'm sad he died. That is, however, the way of nature.

 

My husband and I were discussing it this morning. He was abandoned by his mother and rescued. We had a cat in the family that was abandoned by his mother and rescued. In both cases, a few years later they died suddenly without warning after slightly strenuous activity.

 

I can't help but wonder if the mothers of these young ones know that they have congenital defects and abandon them early. From a purely Darwinian point of view, this would be a survival of the species instinct on two levels. First, it would remove the weakest link in the group early and second, it would keep that animal from passing defective genes on a generation.

 

That may not make real biological sense...but it seemed logical to us.

[Chickadee]

My husband and I were discussing it this morning. He was abandoned by his mother and rescued.

What? I abandoned him? Well, at least you rescued him!

[Rheo]

My husband and I were discussing it this morning. He was abandoned by his mother and rescued.

What? I abandoned him? Well, at least you rescued him!

LOL! That is what I thought at first. Then realized, nope.

[Sabre86]

You know, Knut was a cute little guy and I'm sad he died. That is, however, the way of nature.

 

My husband and I were discussing it this morning. He was abandoned by his mother and rescued. We had a cat in the family that was abandoned by his mother and rescued. In both cases, a few years later they died suddenly without warning after slightly strenuous activity.

 

I can't help but wonder if the mothers of these young ones know that they have congenital defects and abandon them early. From a purely Darwinian point of view, this would be a survival of the species instinct on two levels. First, it would remove the weakest link in the group early and second, it would keep that animal from passing defective genes on a generation.

 

That may not make real biological sense...but it seemed logical to us.

 

I've seen that same suggestion a lot, and there is probably some truth to it.

[pollyannaish]

My husband and I were discussing it this morning. He was abandoned by his mother and rescued.

What? I abandoned him? Well, at least you rescued him!

 

 

Bwahahahaha! No, not Chickadeeson, Knute! Boy do I need a copy editor.

 

But isn't that how we lost Jeter?

 

Edited to add: He still sings "Sometimes I feel like a motherless child...." when he's showering in the morning and every time I hear it, I think "Boy, if Chickadee heard him still singing this she'd kill me for letting it go on."

[nickydog]

My husband and I were discussing it this morning. He was abandoned by his mother and rescued.

What? I abandoned him? Well, at least you rescued him!

LOL! That is what I thought at first. Then realized, nope.

Me, too. Then I thought, but no -- Chickadee is his mother.

 

I think your theory could be right, pollyannaish, and makes Knut's death not so sad. And we don't care what you guys think, Valin and Casino67.

[Chickadee]

My husband and I were discussing it this morning. He was abandoned by his mother and rescued.

What? I abandoned him? Well, at least you rescued him!

Bwahahahaha! No, not Chickadeeson, Knute! Boy do I need a copy editor.

 

But isn't that how we lost Jeter?

 

Edited to add: He still sings "Sometimes I feel like a motherless child...." when he's showering in the morning and every time I hear it, I think "Boy, if Chickadee heard him still singing this she'd kill me for letting it go on."

Yes, Jeeter died when he was 2 1/2. We adopted him when he was 6 months old. The breeder's husband, a physician, gave Jeeter mouth-to-mouth after the mother rejected him and put him outside the cage. He was very loved for those 2 years by us and him from us. He died very happily lying on the bed with his head resting on MrC's feet after having been outside "helping" while MrC was rebuilding our back deck. The breeder "replaced" Jeeter with Gracie when she found out he had died so young, and knowing his birth history.

 

Re: Tzchaen singing the Motherless Child song--it gives me no personal heartburn as it is one my uncle and my brother both sang often and the kids just picked it up. It does have a very mournful quality and I too find myself singing it sometimes without realizing the actual words.

[NCTexan]

My husband and I were discussing it this morning. He was abandoned by his mother and rescued.

What? I abandoned him? Well, at least you rescued him!

Thank you Chickadee!

 

This was my first belly laugh of the day. What a wonderful way to start a Sunday... it helped me wipe away my tears for Knut. I wonder if it's pronounced Nooot or Nut?

 

Anyway, it wouldn't have surprised me if Good-hearted Polly had picked up a stray "nut" off the street and given him a good home.

[righteousmomma]

My husband and I were discussing it this morning. He was abandoned by his mother and rescued.

What? I abandoned him? Well, at least you rescued him!

Thank you Chickadee!

 

This was my first belly laugh of the day. What a wonderful way to start a Sunday... it helped me wipe away my tears for Knut. I wonder if it's pronounced Nooot or Nut?

 

Anyway, it wouldn't have surprised me if Good-hearted Polly had picked up a stray "nut" off the street and given him a good home.

Forgive me all for being in group think lockstep but I agree with NCT. :lmfao:

So DITTO.

[righteousmomma]

Well at least now it can be revealed--one way global warming worked for good --Remember the picture of the poor defenseless polar (carnivore) bear caught floating on the melting ice?? Well now it can be revealed:

God was saving a cute little big eyed seal pup.

 

From wiki the fount of all knowledge:

The key danger posed by global warming is malnutrition or starvation due to habitat loss. Polar bears hunt seals from a platform of sea ice. Rising temperatures cause the sea ice to melt earlier in the year, driving the bears to shore before they have built sufficient fat reserves to survive the period of scarce food in the late summer and early fall.[78] Reduction in sea-ice cover also forces bears to swim longer distances, which further depletes their energy stores and occasionally leads to drowning.[119] Thinner sea ice tends to deform more easily, which appears to make it more difficult for polar bears to access seals.[53] Insufficient nourishment leads to lower reproductive rates in adult females and lower survival rates in cubs and juvenile bears, in addition to poorer body condition in bears of all ages

 

(See? no more polar bear hunts from the air just good ole natural selection doing its duty)

[Sanguine]

Well at least now it can be revealed--one way global warming worked for good --Remember the picture of the poor defenseless polar (carnivore) bear caught floating on the melting ice?? Well now it can be revealed:

God was saving a cute little big eyed seal pup.

 

From wiki the fount of all knowledge:

The key danger posed by global warming is malnutrition or starvation due to habitat loss. Polar bears hunt seals from a platform of sea ice. Rising temperatures cause the sea ice to melt earlier in the year, driving the bears to shore before they have built sufficient fat reserves to survive the period of scarce food in the late summer and early fall.[78] Reduction in sea-ice cover also forces bears to swim longer distances, which further depletes their energy stores and occasionally leads to drowning.[119] Thinner sea ice tends to deform more easily, which appears to make it more difficult for polar bears to access seals.[53] Insufficient nourishment leads to lower reproductive rates in adult females and lower survival rates in cubs and juvenile bears, in addition to poorer body condition in bears of all ages

 

(See? no more polar bear hunts from the air just good ole natural selection doing its duty)

 

Just a comment:

 

Polar bear numbers rising, Inuit elders tell wildlife board

 

Inuit elders in Nunavut's western Hudson Bay area say more polar bears need to be hunted, as their populations are rising — contrary to scientific data that suggests a decrease.

 

Elders and hunters from the territory's Kivalliq region told the Nunavut Wildlife Management Board on the first day of public consultations Tuesday in Arviat that they and others have noticed more encounters with polar bears in recent years...

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/north/story/2007/04/25/arviat-bears.html

 

And -

 

World News

Polar bears 'thriving as the Arctic warms up'

By Fred Langan in Toronto and Tom Leonard 12:01AM GMT 09 Mar 2007

Pictures of a polar bear floating precariously on a tiny iceberg have become the defining image of global warming but may be misleading, according to a new study.

 

A survey of the animals' numbers in Canada's eastern Arctic has revealed that they are thriving, not declining, because of mankind's interference in the environment.

 

In the Davis Strait area, a 140,000-square kilometre region, the polar bear population has grown from 850 in the mid-1980s to 2,100 today.

 

"There aren't just a few more bears. There are a hell of a lot more bears," said Mitch Taylor, a polar bear biologist who has spent 20 years studying the animals.

 

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/1545036/Polar-bears-thriving-as-the-Arctic-warms-up.html

 

And, lastly - I wonder if it wasn't so much a congential condition, as it was one where the early stress of rejection caused a weakened system, and one which the bear/cat/whatever could never fully recover from?

[NCTexan]

And, lastly - I wonder if it wasn't so much a congential condition, as it was one where the early stress of rejection caused a weakened system, and one which the bear/cat/whatever could never fully recover from?

Or maybe it was the rich German diet of beer and brats... Just a thought.

[righteousmomma]

And, lastly - I wonder if it wasn't so much a congential condition, as it was one where the early stress of rejection caused a weakened system, and one which the bear/cat/whatever could never fully recover from?

 

Probably. Poor thing was just a victim. Wonder if he voted Democrat.

[Evad]

He would make a really nice white coat..complete with head.

[NCJim]

And, lastly - I wonder if it wasn't so much a congential condition, as it was one where the early stress of rejection caused a weakened system, and one which the bear/cat/whatever could never fully recover from?

 

Probably. Poor thing was just a victim. Wonder if he voted Democrat.

 

 

Stuz BearCat

 

[Evad]

And, lastly - I wonder if it wasn't so much a congential condition, as it was one where the early stress of rejection caused a weakened system, and one which the bear/cat/whatever could never fully recover from?

 

Probably. Poor thing was just a victim. Wonder if he voted Democrat.

 

 

Stuz BearCat

 

 

Oh man!! I would give Zero's right one for that car.

[NCTexan]

 

Oh man!! I would give Zero's right one for that car.

Evad! You'd have to assume that it could be found.

 

So far, we've seen little evidence for that event.

 

(But it was a nice thought anyway!)

[NCJim]

 

Oh man!! I would give Zero's right one for that car.

Evad! You'd have to assume that it could be found.

 

So far, we've seen little evidence for that event.

 

(But it was a nice thought anyway!)

I would think he would only have a left one...if he has any at all.....LOL

[NCJim]

Some fans already had their own theories. Nadine Hipauf said she worried somebody may have poisoned Knut — whether on purpose or not.

 

“My biggest fear is that somebody may have thrown something in for him to eat,” Hipauf said.

 

Others claimed that Knut had died of stress, saying he was bullied by the three female bears he shared the enclosure with — Tosca, Nancy and Katjuscha.

 

“They should have given him a compound of his own,” retiree Brigit Krause said. “The ladies were constantly harassing him.”

[righteousmomma]

Some fans already had their own theories. Nadine Hipauf said she worried somebody may have poisoned Knut — whether on purpose or not.

 

“My biggest fear is that somebody may have thrown something in for him to eat,” Hipauf said.

 

Others claimed that Knut had died of stress, saying he was bullied by the three female bears he shared the enclosure with — Tosca, Nancy and Katjuscha.

“They should have given him a compound of his own,” retiree Brigit Krause said. “The ladies were constantly harassing him.”

Poor thing. Guess he was lazy and wouldn't clean up after himself.

Sad, he couldn't handle the stress.

[NCJim]

Some fans already had their own theories. Nadine Hipauf said she worried somebody may have poisoned Knut — whether on purpose or not.

 

“My biggest fear is that somebody may have thrown something in for him to eat,” Hipauf said.

 

Others claimed that Knut had died of stress, saying he was bullied by the three female bears he shared the enclosure with — Tosca, Nancy and Katjuscha.

“They should have given him a compound of his own,” retiree Brigit Krause said. “The ladies were constantly harassing him.”

Poor thing. Guess he was lazy and wouldn't clean up after himself.

Sad, he couldn't handle the stress.

LOL