Shock at Polar Bear's Carp Kill (The Horror!)

BBC ^ | 4/8/2008 | BBC

[Sax]

Germany's celebrity polar bear Knut has triggered a new controversy by fishing out 10 live carp from his moat and killing them in front of visitors.

Critics say Berlin Zoo should not have put live fish inside Knut's enclosure. But German media report that the carp were put there to eat up algae.

There is speculation that hand-reared Knut killed the carp just for fun.

A new polar bear cub - Flocke - made her public debut at Nuremberg Zoo on Tuesday, shown live on television.

The zoo is expecting up to 25,000 visitors daily, eager to see Flocke (German for "snowflake"). She has also been hand-reared, because the zoo feared her mother might harm her.

But the zoo has said it wants to avoid any repetition of "Knut mania". Knut was rejected by his mother, but Berlin Zoo decided to hand-rear him, in a controversial move.

There has been heated debate about whether cubs rejected by their mothers should be saved or whether nature should be allowed to run its course.

Knut is now more than a year old and has grown overweight.

The Frankfurter Allgemeine news website reports that Knut "senselessly murdered the carp", fishing them out, playing with them and then leaving the remains.

[Sax]

Haha, ridiculous!

The Frankfurter Allgemeine news website reports that Knut "senselessly murdered the carp", fishing them out, playing with them and then leaving the remains.

Hey A-holes! That's what polar bears do - it's in their nature, they come hard-wired to do this. Putting them in a zoo doesn't change a damn thing. Idiots.

Murder suspect, Knut

[LIConFem]

So, a bear kills some fish and people are outraged?

The whole world has slid off its cracker.

[Clock King]

Total damn idiots. Hand-reared doesn’t mean domesticated. The bear still has its instincts.

[george76]

LOL

“senselessly murdered the carp”,

[PogySailor]

Who who have thought a large predator would CATCH PREY?

Good grief....

[2banana]

If you ever tasted carp - you would know why the bear does not eat it!!!

[E. Pluribus Unum]

This is the sort of mentality that causes people to climb into the polar bear's cage and be surprised when they get eaten.

[stan_sipple]

I would not have senselessly murdered the fish but i understand Knut’s rage coming from warming up his native climate (sarc)

[NormsRevenge]

UFF DA!!

carp wouldn’t be my first choice.. salmon or steelhead sound much tastier, not sure how effective they are on algae tho. ;-)

[afortiori]

I for one wish they would stop all their Carping.

[gridlock]

You cannot “murder” a carp.

[Mr. Jeeves]

The stuffed animal grew up to be a bear. Who would have guessed? ;)

[Sarevok]

Link to video please.

[RobRoy]

To animals, there is no such thing as killing. It is a foreign concept to them.

That is one reason they are dangerous.

If you want to see a creature MUCH more intelligent than any animal that can still give a glimpse of the animals perspective, just watch or read “Of Mice and Men”.

[blu]

A polar bear kills “just for fun”? What's next, anger management classes? Perhaps some mood stabilizers? (Wonder what else the polar bear does just for fun? Does he have a favorite football (over there, that's what they call soccer) team? Maybe he knits in his spare time??)

[Sue Perkick]

Critics say Berlin Zoo should not have put live fish inside Knut's enclosure. But German media report that the carp were put there to eat up algae.

They should have explained that.

To a bear.

The Frankfurter Allgemeine news website reports that Knut "senselessly murdered the carp"

Plenty of "senselessness" to go around. Unreal.

[alarm rider]

I would like to admit here that I have murdered Carp. We used them for bait chum, chums...

[afortiori]

“Knut is now more than a year old and has grown overweight.”

White, male and overweight. The media did the same to the harmless little fuzz-ball Rush Limbaugh.

[meandog]

Seems smarter than the average bear to me!

[Fresh Wind]

God, in His infinite wisdom, constructed living things so that they enjoy doing the things most necessary to their continued existence. Most of all, this includes eating and procreation.