Posted on 04/05/2007 7:59:30 AM PDT by ZGuy
Move over Yogi and Pooh.
The hottest new celebrity bruin is a polar bear cub named Knut, a recent addition to the Berlin Zoo. And he's making waves around the globe.
The 4-month-old cub – who graces the U.S. cover of Vanity Fair's May "green" issue alongside Leonardo DiCaprio – has already spawned a line of plush toys, postcards and bank cards.
Born at the zoo in December to a mother who soon abandoned him, Knut has become a worldwide favourite, drawing hundreds of journalists from around the globe to his debut last month. Plus, he has dramatically bolstered zoo attendance.
German Environment Minister Sigmar Gabriel has done a photo op with Knut and promises to use him as a mascot for a United Nations biodiversity conference in Bonn next year.
Likewise, Greenpeace has used the bear cub in a poster decrying the effects of burning coal on global warming.
Those who had proposed euthanizing the motherless bear were angrily shouted down by outraged Germans, 58 per cent of whom acknowledged in a survey that they're closely following his progress.
But is this new ursine sensation a victim of unbearable commercial exploitation, or a potentially potent symbol in the battle to save planet Earth?
"We need the public mobilized on the environment like never before," said Rick Smith, executive director of U.S.-based non-profit Environmental Defense.
"If this little bear is being properly cared for and is on the cover of Vanity Fair with Leo DiCaprio, that's all right. I don't see that there's any exploitation," Smith added.
Smith says a story or symbol helps sell ideas to the public, pointing to a powerful anti-smoking TV ad that featured the late Heather Crowe, an Ottawa waitress and non-smoker who died from exposure to second-hand smoke, as a means to grab public attention.
"It's impossible to present the environmental issues we present to the public without telling stories. If this little bear ... becomes a symbol, a hook for people to understand the significance of (global warming), I think that's okay," he added.
Biologist Dr. Pete Ewins, member of the World Wildlife Fund Canada, said just as the Free Willy movies drew attention to the plight of killer whales, Knut could be similarly used.
"I haven't checked in with my British or German counterparts in the last day or two, but I'd be surprised if they weren't trying to work out ways to make that linkage between everyone's sentiments for Knut and (environmental issues)," Ewins said.
Smith said he also has no qualms about the fact Knut will spend his life in a zoo or that his likeness has been transformed into a stuffed animal.
"There is a useful component to a zoo ... that is well-run and takes education seriously. If people are going to the zoo (and) buying a plush toy so their children can remember the experience, I'm not going to get too excited about that."
Obviously Knut’s popularity stems from a latent, racist attraction we have for “whiteness”. Jesse & Al Sharpton need to get out in front of this and np it in the bud.
I wonder if the wacky environmentalists who think humans cause so much damage to the environment have realized that, without the interference of humans, this cub would have died.
How much carbon will China produce making all these toys.....and what the cubs carbon footprint?
Those who had proposed euthanizing the motherless bear were angrily shouted down by outraged Germans
You should be able to search for the full story.
I guess they got punched down by the public in their effort to kill a helpless creature so now they have figured out another way to use the animal to their own good.
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