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Berlin's polar bear cub Knut receives death threat
Reuters ^ | 04/19/07

Posted on 04/19/2007 6:40:58 AM PDT by presidio9

Germany's celebrity polar bear cub Knut has received an anonymous death threat, causing alarm at Berlin Zoo on Thursday and prompting heightened security.

"We were contacted by the zoo about a (threatening) letter it had received," said a police spokeswoman, adding officers had investigated but they did not believe it was serious.

Top-selling Bild newspaper said the zoo had received a hand-written fax from a suspected animal hater with the words: "Knut is dead! Thursday midday."

It also said the zoo had trebled the number of minders to 15 responsible for the safety of media star Knut, who has been on newspaper front pages and news shows across Germany and around the world for weeks.

"Death threat, police protection for Knut!" Bild wrote in bold letters on page one above a picture of the sad-looking polar bear cub peering out from behind a tree branch.

Bild also published a picture of a security guard in civilian clothes guarding Knut from behind a rock.

Thousands of fans, including many children, visit the zoo every day to see Knut on his twice daily excursions into an outside enclosure with his bearded keeper Thomas Doerflein.

The keeper has slept in Knut's cage, played with him and fed him porridge since the cub's mother rejected him at birth.

Knut, who now has his own brand, won global attention after questions were raised about hand-rearing polar bears. Some animal rights campaigners were interpreted calling for him to be put down rather than raised by humans.

The ordeal for the four-and-a-half-month old cub comes just three days after officials cut short his daily show due to a fever. Vets reassured a concerned public he was suffering from teething pains and his swollen cheek was nothing to worry about.

No one at the zoo was immediately available to comment.


TOPICS:
KEYWORDS: knut; peta
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To: presidio9

the only part of Newt that won’t fit in the tank is his brain..........lmao


21 posted on 04/19/2007 1:08:45 PM PDT by advertising guy (If computer skills named us, I'd be back-space delete.)
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To: Slings and Arrows; Tijeras_Slim

ping


22 posted on 04/19/2007 1:13:20 PM PDT by presidio9 (Suspended for posting an article about Scalia and Arthur Miller arguing at SCOTUS. Seriously.)
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To: presidio9

LOLOLOL. He’s wearing glasses already?


23 posted on 04/19/2007 1:18:14 PM PDT by Lijahsbubbe (Ah don't feeeeel no ways taihrd.)
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To: presidio9

P.S. He does look kind of teddy-bearish there. LOL


24 posted on 04/19/2007 1:19:13 PM PDT by Lijahsbubbe (Ah don't feeeeel no ways taihrd.)
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To: presidio9; MeekOneGOP; Conspiracy Guy; DocRock; King Prout; Darksheare; OSHA; martin_fierro; ...



25 posted on 04/19/2007 6:17:25 PM PDT by Slings and Arrows ("By the way... who is Ben Dayho?" --60Gunner)
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To: Slings and Arrows

26 posted on 04/19/2007 6:26:50 PM PDT by Lady Jag (I dreamed I surfed all day in my monthly donor wonder bra - https://secure.freerepublic.com/donate)
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To: Lady Jag

Ain’t that the truth.


27 posted on 04/19/2007 6:29:24 PM PDT by Slings and Arrows ("By the way... who is Ben Dayho?" --60Gunner)
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To: Vaquero

Animal rights activists are the ones who feel that it’s *Better dead than captive bred*. And it was one who said that the zoo had to kill the cub. Words fail me to express the contempt I feel for people like this.

Well, maybe it’s really that I don’t want to be banned.


28 posted on 04/19/2007 6:38:49 PM PDT by metmom (Welfare was never meant to be a career choice.)
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To: 007girl

I like his attitude.


29 posted on 04/19/2007 6:40:57 PM PDT by metmom (Welfare was never meant to be a career choice.)
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To: presidio9
"Aye-firmative, Ripley."

I love that movie.

30 posted on 04/19/2007 6:56:21 PM PDT by SC Swamp Fox (Join our Folding@Home team (Team# 36120) keyword: folding)
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To: presidio9


We have it covered . . .
undercover


31 posted on 04/19/2007 6:58:19 PM PDT by Lady Jag (I dreamed I surfed all day in my monthly donor wonder bra - https://secure.freerepublic.com/donate)
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