Knut (5 December 2006 – 19 March 2011) was a polar bear who was 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.
Knut became the center of a mass media phenomenon dubbed "Knutmania" that spanned the globe and spawned toys, media specials, DVDs, and books.Because of this, the cub was largely responsible for a significant increase in revenue, estimated at about five million euros, at the Berlin Zoo in 2007. Zoo attendance figures for the year had increased by an estimated 30 percent, making it the most profitable year in its 163-year history.
Knut died unexpectedly at the age of four on the afternoon of 19 March 2011.
Thomas Dörflein playing with Knut in May 2007
On 19 March 2011, Knut collapsed and died in his enclosure at the age of four. Witnesses reported that after the bear's rear left leg began shaking, he became agitated before convulsing several times and falling backwards into the water. Knut drowned before zookeepers could rescue him from the water. Approximately 600 to 700 zoo visitors witnessed Knut's death.The cause of death has yet to be fully determined (in captivity polar bears can live for 30 years), but a statement made on 22 March in relation to an ongoing necropsy reported there were "significant changes in the brain, which may be regarded as a reason for the sudden death".
Animal welfare organizations in Germany have since accused the Berlin Zoo of negligence, claiming that Knut died of stress caused by being forced to share his enclosure with three female polar bears.The Zoo has denied such claims. Bear curator Heiner Klös stated they "did everything to look after Knut – it's normal for polar bears to live with other polar bears in a zoo, and the idea was that Knut should learn social behavior and other skills from the older females.... He played with the other bears, he was relaxed and strong".
Knut's sudden death caused an international outpouring of grief. Hundreds of fans visited the zoo following the bear's death, leaving flowers and mementos near the enclosure. The mayor of Berlin, Klaus Wowereit, stated "We all held him so dearly. He was the star of the Berlin zoos". The Zoo plans to erect a monument in Knut's honor, financed from donations by fans. Thomas Ziolko, the chairman of the Friends of the Berlin Zoo, was quoted as saying: "Knut will live on in the hearts of many visitors, but it's important to create a memorial for coming generations to preserve the memory of this unique animal personality." Knut's remains may also be stuffed and put on display in Berlin's Museum of Natural History, although this decision has caused some controversy with fans.
Knut on the cover of the German Vanity Fair: the text reads "I, Knut: an international superstar from Germany"
The Berlin Zoo registered "Knut" as a trademark in late March 2007. As a result, its shares more than doubled at the Berlin Stock Exchange; previously worth around €2,000, the value closed at €4,820 just a week later. The zoo reported that its attendance figures for 2007 increased by an estimated 30 percent, making it the most profitable it had been in its 163 year history.Knut earned the Berlin Zoo nearly €5 million that year, mainly thanks to an increase in visitors as well as the amount of merchandise sold.
Various companies profited from the attention surrounding Knut by developing themed products such as ringtones and cuddly toys. Plush toy company Steiff produced several Knut-based plush toys in three sizes and models: sitting, standing, and lying down. The first 2,400 produced toys, which sold exclusively at the Berlin Zoo, sold out in only four days. The money raised from the Steiff deal was intended to be used to renovate the polar bear enclosure at the zoo.
Haribo released a raspberry
-flavored gummy bear sweet called Cuddly Knut beginning in April 2007
. They pledged to donate ten cents to the zoo for every tub of Knut sweets it sold. The gummy bears sold so well that the Bonn-based company had to expand production to a second factory to deal with demand.
Knut has been the subject of several popular songs in Germany, the most successful of which were the singles "Knut is Cute" and "Knut, der kleine Eisbär" (English: “Knut, the little polar bear”) by nine-year-old Kitty from Köpenick. In Britain, musical comedian Mitch Benn has performed three songs about Knut for BBC Radio 4 satirical series The Now Show: "The Baby Bear Must DIE!","Knut Isn't Cute Anymore", and "Goodbye Knut"—a power ballad about Knut moving to Neumünster Zoo. A blog with updates about the polar bear is maintained by a journalist at the regional public broadcaster Rundfunk Berlin-Brandenburg; it is available in German, English, and Spanish. RBB is also responsible for a weekly television program dedicated to the polar bear cub that is broadcast in Germany. Knut has also been the subject of several DVDs,including one entitled "Knut – Stories from a Polar Bear's Nursery". He appeared on the 29 March 2007 cover of the German Vanity Fair magazine, which included a several page spread about the cub's life.
Cover for Knut: How One Little Polar Bear Captivated the World
On 1 May 2007 it was announced that New York-based Turtle Pond Publications and the Berlin Zoo had signed a deal for the worldwide publishing rights to Knut with the hopes of raising awareness of global warming issues. Written by Craig Hatkoff and his daughters Juliana and Isabella, the 44-page book entitled Knut, der kleine Eisbärenjunge (Little Polar Bear Knut) includes Knut's life story as well as previously unpublished photographs. Although several books about Knut had already been published in Germany, this book was the first to be authorized by the Berlin Zoo.
The book was published in Germany by Ravensburger on 26 July 2007 and US publishing company Scholastic released the English version, entitled Knut: How one little polar bear captivated the world, in the United States in November of the same year. Rights to the book have also been sold to publishers in Japan, England, Mexico, China, and Italy.
On 31 December 2007, the zoo's director confirmed the zoo had received a proposal for a film deal from Hollywood film producer Ash R. Shah, whose films include Supernova and Shark Bait, to make an animated film about the bear's life. Shah reportedly approached the Berlin Zoo with a purported €3.5 million film deal.Knut made his big screen debut in the German filmKnut und seine Freunde (Knut and His Friends), which premiered in Berlin on 2 March 2008. Directed by Michael Johnson, the film depicts how Knut was rescued after his mother abandoned him and also features a polar bear family from the Arctic and two brown bear cubs from Belarus.
German stamp depicting the one-year-old Knut and the slogan Natur weltweit bewahren (Preserve nature worldwide)Photographer Annie Leibovitz took pictures of Knut that were used for an environmental campaign, including Vanity Fair magazine's May 2007 Green Issue in which he was superimposed into a photograph with American actor Leonardo DiCaprio. The polar bear has also been depicted on the logo for the German Environment Minister's campaign to help stop global warming and a 2008 special issue stamp. Officially released on 9 April, the stamp shows the roughly one-year-old Knut with the slogan "Natur weltweit bewahren" ("Preserve nature worldwide").
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