Post by: jocelyn on January 21, 2008, 09:49:44 pm
!["Photobucket"]("http://s169.photobucket.com/albums/u226/sepiacuttlefish/?action=view¤t=2008_01_03t111004_326x450_us_german.jpg")
!["Photobucket"]("http://s169.photobucket.com/albums/u226/sepiacuttlefish/?action=view¤t=sader_in_snow1.jpg")
Post by: stefpav on June 05, 2007, 02:42:27 pm
I love it!! He\'s so freakin\' cute!!
Post by: Klout on June 04, 2007, 11:47:15 pm
seems wierd that animal rights activists wanted to kill him instead of letting humans try to raise him tho. I mean he still has a right to live doesn\'t he?
Post by: wildcoyote on June 04, 2007, 11:23:54 pm
Post by: skalnbyc on June 04, 2007, 11:01:03 pm
Quote from: davepeck;147594
Doerflein thinks he will be able to play with Knut until he is about a year-old,
Why stop there? Go ahead, be the second incarnation of Timothy Treadwell!
Post by: jocelyn on June 04, 2007, 10:16:52 pm
Post by: davepeck on June 03, 2007, 11:35:22 am
Quote
Polar bear Knut growing into beast
ERLIN (Reuters) - Knut, Berlin Zoo\'s celebrity polar bear cub, is growing from a cuddly ball of fur into a shaggy, powerful predator who could soon pose a serious threat to his devoted human keeper who has nursed him from birth.
The cub, which still draws some 5,000 fans every day, turns six months on Tuesday and his 28 kg (62 pounds) are starting to show. His snout is longer, his torso chunkier and teeth sharper.
Thomas Doerflein, who for months slept in Knut\'s enclosure to feed him milk and porridge through the night, still rolls on the ground with the cub in his twice daily shows and lets him bite his fingers.
But he has taken to pulling his long sleeves over his hands to protect them and winces when the cub bites him on the bottom. Captivated admirers watch Doerflein duck and shoulder away Knut when he gets boisterous.
"He\'s just playing and it doesn\'t hurt, it just pinches a bit. It only hurts when he gets angry," the bearded Doerflein, who already has a few bruises, told Reuters.
In addition to porridge, the young star now tucks into fish, meat and cat food and is putting on around 200 grams a day.
Last week, he learned how to swim and Doerflein takes Knut for a walk round the Zoo every morning to build up his muscles. His coat is no longer white and fluffy, but yellow and shaggy.
"He is getting bigger and is gruffer than he used to be and is learning his role as a loner," said zoo vet Andre Schuele, who estimates that Knut will not be fully grown for another four years or so.
Knut was rejected by his mother, Tosca, and hit the headlines after an animal rights campaigner said hand-rearing polar bears violated animal rights. German media interpreted the comments as a call for Knut to be put down.
Since then, Knut has become a brand. He has his own song, DVD and book deal and features in a range of merchandise from soft toys and T-shirts to sweets.
DANGEROUS?
Doerflein thinks he will be able to play with Knut until he is about a year-old, by which time the cub will be 60-80 kg, compared to about 500 kg when he is fully grown.
The keepers say the cub regards Doerflein as his mother and is therefore unlikely to attack him, but some experts fear he could get dangerous sooner and point to worrying precedents.
In the 1920s, a Norwegian explorer had to put down "Marie", a polar bear cub he had reared, after she attacked him. Historians put the cub\'s age at only four months, although some experts suspect she might have been older.
The zoo also rejects comparisons with Bokito, a gorilla raised in Berlin who burst out of his enclosure in Rotterdam Zoo last month and went on a rampage.
"You can\'t compare them: gorillas are social animals, polar bears are loners," said Schuele. "I have no worries that Knut will be a problem like that."
But the Zoo realises the Knut show will not go on forever.
"Knut is getting too big for this and we will probably bring the shows to an end in two or three months," said Raimund Opitz, who gives visitors a running commentary.
The Zoo will consider moving Knut elsewhere after he is a year old. Several other zoos are keen to take on Knut to breed.
Post by: skalnbyc on May 12, 2007, 04:24:32 pm
Post by: jocelyn on May 12, 2007, 04:01:22 pm
Post by: SlimPickens on May 12, 2007, 12:48:19 pm
Quote from: Todd;145106
Quote from: Mamalakabubadaya;145096that lil fella is adorable!!!! I WANT ONE!!!!!!!!
:that:
Me too. I bet he would taste daaalish! Marinate and slow cooked on a charcoal grill... better yet... a smoker!!, maybe some mashed potatoes and homemade applesauce on the side.
Post by: Todd on May 12, 2007, 12:08:34 pm
Quote from: Mamalakabubadaya;145096
that lil fella is adorable!!!! I WANT ONE!!!!!!!!
:that:
Post by: FreeSpirit on May 12, 2007, 11:24:47 am
Quote from: Todd;145079
What, you didn\'t watch the video and listen to his cutesy song?
:lol: video?! All I got was a little question mark... damn firewalls!
Post by: Todd on May 12, 2007, 10:43:35 am
Quote from: FrankZappa;145089
roten Socken.
Is that what happens when you "use" your sock and don\'t wash it?
Post by: Mamalakabubadaya on May 12, 2007, 10:40:40 am
Post by: FrankZappa on May 12, 2007, 06:08:20 am
Post by: Todd on May 11, 2007, 11:30:11 pm
Quote from: FreeSpirit;145062
:chin: How do you pronounce his name? Is it "Kay-Nut" or "Kah-Nut" or "Kah-Noot" :?:
What, you didn\'t watch the video and listen to his cutesy song?
Post by: jocelyn on May 11, 2007, 06:29:47 pm
Post by: FreeSpirit on May 11, 2007, 06:26:47 pm
Post by: jocelyn on May 11, 2007, 06:19:31 pm
!["Photo]("http://i169.photobucket.com/albums/u226/sepiacuttlefish/05-1117.jpg")
!["Photo]("http://i169.photobucket.com/albums/u226/sepiacuttlefish/GERMANY_POLAR_BEAR.jpg")
!["Photo]("http://i169.photobucket.com/albums/u226/sepiacuttlefish/GERMANY_POLAR_BEAR-1.jpg")
!["Photo]("http://i169.photobucket.com/albums/u226/sepiacuttlefish/polar2DM1903_468x389.jpg")
!["Photo]("http://i169.photobucket.com/albums/u226/sepiacuttlefish/polarDM1903_468x380.jpg")
!["Photo]("http://i169.photobucket.com/albums/u226/sepiacuttlefish/r1406206835.jpg")
!["Photo]("http://i169.photobucket.com/albums/u226/sepiacuttlefish/012-2252.jpg")
Post by: stefpav on May 11, 2007, 06:13:15 pm
Quote from: jocelyn;145033
Yeah, he\'s going to a nasty mother fucker when he gets older... Polar bears are probably the most vicious of bears... at least, I would assume that by looking at what they eat/how they hunt.
As far as his enclosure goes... I have seen other videos where he is playing in pools of icewater, so...
he is definitely going to be one big bad ass polar bear once he\'s matured, however, the most vicious and unpredictable bears are actually black bears. They may be small, but they\'re probably the worst bear to run across~~>they pack a nasty swipe. polar bears would more than likely come after you if (a) you came too close to a mother and cubs..or just cubs w/ mommy close by, (b) you came too close to their food. i\'m sure there are other reasons a polar bear will attack, but the point is, for the majority of the time, polar bears are usually provoked in some way in order for them to attack a human. on the other hand, black bears, for the majority, will come flying at you out of no where for no reason. obviously there is always the exception to "the rule", but this is what i\'ve concluded from all the research i\'ve done on polar bears (which is a lot) and bears in general. :)
[/Lecture]-class dismissed ;)
Post by: jocelyn on May 11, 2007, 03:24:09 pm
As far as his enclosure goes... I have seen other videos where he is playing in pools of icewater, so...
Post by: leith on May 11, 2007, 12:50:06 pm
They better keep an eye on that bear. He may look oh so cute now but those Germans better watch out as he grows older. It is inevitable he is going to turn into a "godless killing machine without a soul" that all bears end up being. :lol:
Post by: stefpav on May 11, 2007, 12:22:33 pm
Post by: jocelyn on May 11, 2007, 11:15:19 am
Post by: FrankZappa on May 11, 2007, 11:06:22 am
Post by: jocelyn on May 11, 2007, 10:59:34 am
I have been following his story for a couple of months now.... And... even though we have never met...
Knut is my best friend.
He is a polar bear that was born in the Berlin Zoo. When his mother abandoned him and his brother, his brother died, and the zookeepers decided to raise him themselves. This decision was met with outrage from some "animal rights activists." They believed that since it is unnatural for a human to raise a polar bear, he should either be allowed to die or euthanized.
The general public was horrified by these statements, and banded together, turning knut into a sort of hero for the city of Berlin. At this point he has pretty much become Germany\'s national hero.
I am happy to report that Knut is healthy and doing quite well, despite one death threat recently and a little cold which was taken care of by some routine antibiotics.
I am planning a trip to Berlin in the near future so that I can go meet my BFF.
In case that doesn\'t work, here\'s the link:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bFR0xA60GGI
Also, that is my new favorite song. Hallo Knut! Gotta love the vocoder. :P