Knut, the baby polar bear. 2006-2011
Knut was a polar bear born in captivity at the
Berlin Zoological Garden. Rejected by his
mother at birth, he was raised by zookeepers.
He was the first polar bear cub to survive past
infancy at the Berlin Zoo in more than 30 years.
At one time the subject of international
controversy, he became a tourist attraction and
commercial success. After the German
tabloid newspaper Bild ran a quote from an
animal rights activist that decried keeping the
cub in captivity, fans worldwide rallied in support of his being hand-raised by humans. Children protested outside the zoo, and e-mails and letters expressing sympathy for the
cub's life were sent from around the world.