Just two years ago, a white ball of fluff with button eyes floored everyone around the world. Knut, the polar bear who is practically a superstar completes two years on Friday.
His size today is too enormous to fit into the cage. The Berlin zoo star weighs around 440 pounds and is a fully grown adult bear covered with fur yellowish in color. Lack of space is a huge constraint for the zoo officials making it impossible to build a bigger enclosure. Ardent fans however are worried and are lobbying for their star to stay.
The current enclosure houses Knut and his parents Tosca and Lars and two other female bears. According to Heiner Kloes the bear keeper, Knut requires a lot of space as he reaches sexual maturity at the age of six to accommodate a fertile partner.
Two female bears are now eligible. They will however be too old to bear cubs by the time Knut reaches the mating age. According to estimates by scientists, polar bears listed under the US Endangered Species Act out in the wild number at least 20,000 to 25,000. Shrinking habitats of polar bears are a matter of concern for Canada and Russia.
As the zoo is already filled with other animal’s enclosures, Kloes said it would not be fair on our part to hang on to Knut knowing there is no eligible female here. Preserving the species is of more importance than one individual Kloes added. Presence of Knut raised visitor percentage last year by 27 percent.
