Posted on 07/09/2007 12:08:55 PM PDT by Cecily
BERLIN, Germany (AP) -- The show is over: The Berlin zoo's fast-growing polar bear cub, Knut, won't be appearing anymore with the keeper who raised him.
Thomas Doerflein, above, said he remains on hand for Knut but will no longer play in public with him. 1 of 2 The zoo said Monday that it has ended 7-month-old Knut's twice-daily public appearances with keeper Thomas Doerflein.
The playful pair have delighted audiences since Knut -- then an irresistibly cute 20-pound cub -- made his first public appearance in late March. Now nearing about 110 pounds, the boisterous bear, who will remain on public view, will have his enclosure all to himself.
"Mr. Doerflein's safety counts first of all, of course," zoo spokeswoman Regine Damm said. The zoo also has Knut's independence in mind, she added, as it prepares the bear to "associate with other bears and not with other people."
(Excerpt) Read more at cnn.com ...
Best wishes to bear and man.
He noticed the bear eye-ballin him and licking his chops...O.K. that’s it...cutsie time is over!
Knut is kaput.
... naught for Knut.
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