Posted on Feb 29, 2008 under Knut News |
STUTTGART, Germany (AP) — After Knut and Flocke, welcome Wilbaer.
Stuttgart’s Wilhelma zoo announced Thursday that one of its polar bears gave birth to a male cub on Dec. 10 — Germany’s latest high-profile bear arrival, following Berlin zoo star Knut and Nuremberg celebrity Flocke.
But little Wilbaer has an advantage over his famous counterparts: his mother, Corinna, hasn’t abandoned him.
“Corinna is taking exemplary care of her offspring,” zoo director Dieter Jauch said.
Jauch pointed to the media frenzy that surrounded Knut last year as the reason the zoo so far kept Wilbaer’s birth under wraps. “We are not out for the big money,” he said.
However, he added that the zoo has had his name — a combination of the zoo’s name and the German for bear, “Baer” — registered as a trademark.
Jauch said the cub now weighs more than 13 pounds. For now, though, Wilbaer is being kept out of public view — and he is not expected to be on view in the polar bear enclosure until May.
Posted on Feb 27, 2008 under Knut Pictures |
Little Knut bites his minder´s leg
Posted on Feb 25, 2008 under Knut News |
t’s a story as old as show business: once you’ve reached the heights of stardom, long-lost relatives, former business associates and ex-lovers surface to claim their piece of the pie. Even if you’re a polar bear.
Knut has been sunning in the limelight for over a year now, ever since the polar bear cub was shunned by his mother and found a surrogate in his human keeper in the Berlin Zoo.
The no-longer so white or fluffy creature has also been a boon to the institution, drawing crowds of children and adults including A- and B-list celebrities. Thanks to Knut, ticket sales increased by 4.2 million euros ($6.2 million) and franchising brought in an additional 750,000 euros, the zoo announced on Wednesday, Feb. 20.
And, just as we’ve learned to expect from the pages of our favorite tabloids, a family member has shown up to claim his right to share Knut’s fortune.
A provincial zoo north of Hamburg has spoken up on behalf of Knut’s father, Lars. Though he’s thought to have never even gotten a glimpse of his offspring, Lars sired the cub during a date with his mother Tosca, and now Neumuenster zoo chief Peter Druewa says Knut belongs to them.
Druewa said a contract signed by the two zoos specified that the first of every two litters belonged to his institution, according to German news agency DPA. The society that runs the small zoo planned to vote in mid-March on whether to file suit against the Berliners and claim Knut — and his fortune — as their own.
So far, Berlin Zoo chief Bernhard Blaszkiewitz has declined to comment.
(www.dw-world.de)
Posted on Feb 24, 2008 under Knut News |
Germany’s beloved polar bear Knut helped the Berlin Zoo where he lives bring in five 5 million euros ($7.36 million) in 2007, the zoo director said on Wednesday.
The zoo’s profits have shot up by 4.1 million euros ($6.03 million) from 2006, the highest income increase in five years, with licensing and merchandising products adding a further 750,000 euros to the pot — much of it thanks to Knut.
“We had so many more visitors last year and that was a lot to do with our famous bear Knut.” said zoo director Bernhard Blaszkiewitz. “Everyone has heard of him!”
The furry superstar, who was famously hand-reared by keepers after being rejected by mother Tosca, attracted half a million more visitors to the zoo last year.
The Knut brand currently has 44 licensing contracts and 29 companies who use his image to sell products including soft toys, DVDs, books and even bags of sweets.
The 14-month old Knut, who has lost his cub-cuteness and weighs in at 132 kg, loves to eat croissants and still attracts thousands of daily visitors to the zoo.
High hopes have been set for his love life with the birth of new polar bear cub Snowflake at Nuremberg Zoo in southern Germany in December.
Newspapers hailed the new cub as a future mate for Berlin’s shaggy celebrity as astrologers described the pair as a “dream team” with perfectly aligned planets.
(Reporting by Sarah Roberts), editing by Paul Casciato
(Reuters)