Knut, Berlin zoo's celebrity polar bear, died of brain illness | World news | The Guardian Knut, Berlin zoo's celebrity polar bear, died of brain illness Postmortem on four-year-old polar bear who collapsed and died showed 'significant changes to the brain' Knut pictured in snow in his enclosure at Berlin zoo early last year. Photograph: John Macdougall/AFP/Getty Images Associated Press in Berlin Close This article is 5 years old Brain problems apparently caused the early death of Knut , Germany's four-year-old celebrity polar bear, Berlin zoo has said. Initial findings from a postmortem performed by an institute in the German capital showed "significant changes to the brain, which can be viewed as a reason for the polar bear's sudden death", the zoo said in a statement. Pathologists found no changes to any other organs, the zoo said, adding that it would take several days to produce a final result. Further planned tests include bacteriological and histological, or tissue, examinations. Knut died on Saturday in front of visitors at the zoo, turning around several times and then falling into the water in his enclosure. Polar bears usually live 15 to 20 years in the wild and longer in captivity.

Knut, who was born in December 2006 at the zoo, rose to celebrity status as a cub. He was rejected by his mother at birth, along with his twin brother, who only survived a couple of days. He attracted attention when his main keeper, Thomas Doerflein, camped out at the zoo to give Knut his bottle every two hours. Knut went on to appear on magazine covers, in a film and on mountains of merchandise. Doerflein died in 2008 of a heart attack. Polar Bear Knut's Death Tied to Brain Problems Polar Bear Knut's Death Tied to Brain Problems Jeanna Bryner<br />, LiveScience Managing Editor<br /><a href="" >LiveScience.com</a> Pin it Share An animal autopsy of the 4-year-old polar bear named Knut that died suddenly at the Berlin Zoo on Saturday (March 19) showed distinct brain changes that may be the cause of death. The necropsy, or animal autopsy, was undertaken Monday (March 21) at the Leibniz Institute for Zoo and Wildlife Research.

"The preliminary results show distinctive anomalies at the brain, which could be seen as the cause of the ice bear's sudden passing," according to a press statement from the zoo. "Other irregularities on the organs could not be found from the pathologists." The animal died suddenly in front of hundreds of zoo visitors with no signs of any ailments. [ Images of Knut ] "There was absolutely nothing to see. I was there one hour before he died, and I saw him resting there and he recognized me and he was absolutely normal in his behavior," said Heiner Klös, bear curator and biologist at the Berlin Zoo who has been responsible for Knut's care since the bear was born. Klös had to stay outside of Knut's enclosure, so there was a barrier between the two, but he recalls the last time they had physical contact when Knut was just 10 or 11 months old. Though the necropsy is not yet complete, Klös said the fact that they didn't find any abnormalities in the animal's kidneys, liver or heart suggest stress did not play a role in the death .

"We are absolutely sure there was no stress and no heart attack, and no broken heart, if it's possible to find something like this," Klös told LiveScience. The life of a celeb Knut, born in captivity at the Berlin Zoo on Dec. 5, 2006, became a sensation after he was rejected by his mother and hand-raised by zookeeper Thomas Dorflein, who died of a heart attack in 2008. [ Image Gallery: World's Cutest Baby Wild Animals ] Though polar bears live alone in the wild, Klös said that in zoos where there's no real competition for food and space, the animals tend to play with one another — as long as you don't put two males together in an enclosure. To help Knut learn social skills, the zoo brought a young female, about 6 or 8 months old at the time, from the Munich Zoo to play with baby Knut. "Giovanna was a little bit stronger than Knut, and there was a fight between them, and Giovanna was the best one," Klös said during a telephone interview. Some days later, the two seemed to make up and were happily playing together, according to Klös.

(Giovanna, as per an agreement, was sent back to Munch a few months later.) Then, when Knut was 3 1/2 years old, Klös and other zoo staff decided to house him with three females in a larger enclosure. They gradually introduced the bears, starting with the youngest female. For the first two or three weeks, Klös said it was tough for the little guy who was not used to defending food or space from three big, strong females. During the last few weeks of his life, Knut seemed strong and was marking and defending his area of rocks, showing "I'm the male polar bear," Klös said. Knut's death Some visitors to the zoo may have thought Knut lived a sad life, but he didn't, Klös said. Like humans, polar bears are animals with individual personalities . "He was the shier type. So he played for three or four hours and then he [would] sit down in one corner of the cage and said, 'Well, please let me alone,'" Klös said. "A lot of humans visit Knut each day and these people think, 'Well, poor Knut,'" referring to the seemingly bored bear.

"He had a fantastic experience and he was growing quickly and he showed absolutely normal behavior of a polar bear," Klös said. Even so, Knut's death at such a young age is rare, as male polar bears tend to live to their mid-30s in zoos and between 15 and 18 years in the wild, according to the San Diego Zoo. The oldest polar bear in captivity, Debby, was euthanized in November 2008 at age 42 at the Assiniboine Park Zoo in Winnipeg, Canada. She was losing weight and had multiple organ failure, giving no hope of recovery, Robert Wrigley, a curator at the zoo, said in a statement at the time. The second oldest polar bear in captivity in North America, Snowball, died at age 37 in October 2008 at the Cleveland Metroparks Zoo. About 20,000 to 25,000 polar bears are estimated to exist in the wild, according to the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).

Globally, the polar bear is considered "vulnerable" by the IUCN, a designation assigned in 2005, based on the likelihood of a more than 30 percent decline in the total polar bear population within the next 35 to 50 years. The animal was listed as a threatened (defined as a species likely to become endangered in the foreseeable future) in 2008 under the Endangered Species Act due to shrinking sea ice — the animals' key habitat. Alaska, the one U.S. area where polar bears live, is embroiled in a battle with the federal government and conservation groups over this status, with one congressman introducing a bill to strip the bear of its threatened status . Zoo officials expect to have more results from Knut's necropsy by Friday. You can follow LiveScience managing editor Jeanna Bryner on Twitter @jeannabryner .

Famous Polar Bear Knut Dies of Brain Problems - ABC News ABC News Knut the Polar Bear Dies at Berlin Zoo of Brain Problems By Seni Tienabeso WATCH Knut: Living Fast and Dying Young 0 Shares Email As with most moments in the short life of the world's most famous polar bear, Knut's final seconds were captured on camera. In new disturbing video posted on YouTube you can hear spectators in the Berlin Zoo last weekend watch in curiosity and then horror as the young bear first starts going in circles around his own shadow, then convulses and falls to his death in a pool of water. The Berlin Zoo says a test performed on the famous polar bear shows that "significant changes" in the animal's brain led to his death . A necropsy, according to the zoo, did not show changes in any other organs. The zoo is trying to pinpoint the exact cause of death. Polar bears usually live at least 15 to 20 years in wild, and even longer when removed from the harsh Arctic elements. This is leaving many to question how Knut's life in captivity may have contributed to the death of the just 4-year old bear.

The German branch of PETA repeatedly raised concerns with the Berlin Zoo about Knut's captivity and fame during his short life. "We have been after this zoo ever since they made Knut a tourist attraction to his detriment," said PETA President Ingrid Newkirk. "When he was small cuddly and fuzzy he was cute and everybody loved him. But then he grew and became boring and everyone lost attention. He was not hand fed anymore or babied and loved. He was put in an enclosure about 1 millionth of the space he would be in nature." Knut's twin brother died soon after birth. They were rejected by their mother, a former East German circus bear, immediately after they were born. Knut was raised by a zookeeper who bottle-fed him and taught him to swim. The little bear became an instant celebrity after he was introduced to the world in March 2007. But like so many of his human celebrity counterparts, he was a child star who had trouble adjusting as he grew up. At first many questioned whether it was wise to hand-raise the animal. Knut reportedly had issues with fellow bears that he at times shared an enclosure with.

Many also claimed that Knut became obsessed with applause and often grew withdrawn when people did not show their approval of his antics. "He was growing nuttier and went from being called 'Knut the cute' to 'Knut the nut,'" said Newkirk. "He was suffering from panic attacks, and he would sway and then mimic tourist taking photos of him. Some people thought that it was cute, but this repetitive behavior was a result of mental anguish." "Knutmania" waned some but remained strong enough to earn the Berlin Zoo millions, even as countless groups criticized the institution for forcing him to live in such a small space. The world famous San Diego Zoo houses four adult polar bears in an environment as seemingly removed from the frozen reaches of the Arctic as you can go. A spokeswoman rejects criticism that polar bears are too big and too wild to live in small zoo enclosures. "Our polar bears are doing well," said Christina Simmons. "There aren't release programs for polar bears in captivity, because they are large predatory mammals and they don't have enough food in many places in the wild due to climate change.

They are actually becoming more of a threat to humans in the wild, so at this point it makes no sense to release them." Scientists say climate change and the alteration of their natural habitat with the loss of sea ice in many areas are threatening polar bears around the world. "The long term outlook for polar bears is grim," said Geoff York, head of Arctic species for the World Wildlife Federations global program. But he contends that zoos play a role in finding a solution. "We simply can't learn everything in the wild. Zoo's have a potential role to play in conservation and educating the public about polar bears, but when it comes to negatives it's all about maintaining high standards." The San Diego Zoo re-launched its polar bear plunge exhibit last year, and says it is one of many zoos looking to expand its facilities as the threat of climate change grows on the polar habitat. Dr. Randi Meyerson, polar bear survival plan coordinator for the Association for Zoos and Aquariums, says new polar bear exhibits are being designed to cater to the roaming nature of polar bears. "We give them environments where they can do similar activities as they do in the wild and we can keep them busy.

We also don't go out and trap healthy bears, so they typically don't have to acclimate to the loss of vast living expanses." In death, at least for now, "Knutmania" looks like it will live on. The news of his sudden death has sparked tributes across the social media world. On his Facebook fan page, many have continued to pay tribute. Fans are now attempting to collect donations to erect a memorial in his honor. Outside the Berlin zoo, PETA has already laid its own plaque and it reads, "Not a single day in freedom, a life without dignity, forgive us Knut." As for Knut, even in death he may be an attraction. There are reports that the animal will be stuffed and displayed at the Berlin museum.

0 Shares Polar Bear Knut's Death Tied to Brain Problems - Technology & science - Science - LiveScience | NBC News Polar Bear Knut's Death Tied to Brain Problems Below: By Jeanna Bryner, LiveScience Managing Editor updated 3/22/2011 2:51:45 PM ET 2011-03-22T18:51:45 + - An animal autopsy of the 4-year-old polar bear named Knut that died suddenly at the Berlin Zoo on Saturday (March 19) showed distinct brain changes that may be the cause of death. The necropsy, or animal autopsy, was undertaken Monday (March 21) at the Leibniz Institute for Zoo and Wildlife Research. "The preliminary results show distinctive anomalies at the brain, which could be seen as the cause of the ice bear's sudden passing," according to a press statement from the zoo. "Other irregularities on the organs could not be found from the pathologists." The animal died suddenly in front of hundreds of zoo visitors with no signs of any ailments. [ Images of Knut ] "There was absolutely nothing to see.

I was there one hour before he died, and I saw him resting there and he recognized me and he was absolutely normal in his behavior," said Heiner Klös, bear curator and biologist at the Berlin Zoo who has been responsible for Knut's care since the bear was born. Klös had to stay outside of Knut's enclosure, so there was a barrier between the two, but he recalls the last time they had physical contact when Knut was just 10 or 11 months old. Though the necropsy is not yet complete, Klös said the fact that they didn't find any abnormalities in the animal's kidneys, liver or heart suggest stress did not play a role in the death . "We are absolutely sure there was no stress and no heart attack, and no broken heart, if it's possible to find something like this," Klös told LiveScience. The life of a celeb Knut, born in captivity at the Berlin Zoo on Dec. 5, 2006, became a sensation after he was rejected by his mother and hand-raised by zookeeper Thomas Dorflein, who died of a heart attack in 2008.

[ Image Gallery: World's Cutest Baby Wild Animals ] Though polar bears live alone in the wild, Klös said that in zoos where there's no real competition for food and space, the animals tend to play with one another — as long as you don't put two males together in an enclosure. To help Knut learn social skills, the zoo brought a young female, about 6 or 8 months old at the time, from the Munich Zoo to play with baby Knut. "Giovanna was a little bit stronger than Knut, and there was a fight between them, and Giovanna was the best one," Klös said during a telephone interview. Some days later, the two seemed to make up and were happily playing together, according to Klös. (Giovanna, as per an agreement, was sent back to Munch a few months later.) Then, when Knut was 3 1/2 years old, Klös and other zoo staff decided to house him with three females in a larger enclosure. They gradually introduced the bears, starting with the youngest female. For the first two or three weeks, Klös said it was tough for the little guy who was not used to defending food or space from three big, strong females.

During the last few weeks of his life, Knut seemed strong and was marking and defending his area of rocks, showing "I'm the male polar bear," Klös said. Knut's death Some visitors to the zoo may have thought Knut lived a sad life, but he didn't, Klös said. Like humans, polar bears are animals with individual personalities . "He was the shier type. So he played for three or four hours and then he [would] sit down in one corner of the cage and said, 'Well, please let me alone,'" Klös said. "A lot of humans visit Knut each day and these people think, 'Well, poor Knut,'" referring to the seemingly bored bear. Advertise "He had a fantastic experience and he was growing quickly and he showed absolutely normal behavior of a polar bear," Klös said. Even so, Knut's death at such a young age is rare, as male polar bears tend to live to their mid-30s in zoos and between 15 and 18 years in the wild, according to the San Diego Zoo.

The oldest polar bear in captivity, Debby, was euthanized in November 2008 at age 42 at the Assiniboine Park Zoo in Winnipeg, Canada. She was losing weight and had multiple organ failure, giving no hope of recovery, Robert Wrigley, a curator at the zoo, said in a statement at the time. The second oldest polar bear in captivity in North America, Snowball, died at age 37 in October 2008 at the Cleveland Metroparks Zoo. About 20,000 to 25,000 polar bears are estimated to exist in the wild, according to the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). Globally, the polar bear is considered "vulnerable" by the IUCN, a designation assigned in 2005, based on the likelihood of a more than 30 percent decline in the total polar bear population within the next 35 to 50 years. The animal was listed as a threatened (defined as a species likely to become endangered in the foreseeable future) in 2008 under the Endangered Species Act due to shrinking sea ice — the animals' key habitat.

Alaska, the one U.S. area where polar bears live, is embroiled in a battle with the federal government and conservation groups over this status, with one congressman introducing a bill to strip the bear of its threatened status . Zoo officials expect to have more results from Knut's necropsy by Friday. You can follow LiveScience managing editor Jeanna Bryner on Twitter @jeannabryner . Berlin zoo: Beloved polar bear Knut has died Berlin zoo: Beloved polar bear Knut has died KIRSTEN GRIESHABER - Associated Press Share View photos FILE - In this March 23, 2007 file photo, Knut, the polar bear cub, has its first public appearance with his keeper in the Berlin zoo. A Berlin zoo official says world-famous polar bear Knut has died. Bear keeper Heiner Kloes said that four-year-old Knut died Saturday afternoon while alone in his compound. He says the cause is not yet clear. More Berlin's beloved polar bear Knut, an international star who as a cuddly, fluffy cub graced magazine covers, movies and merchandise, died Saturday. His death at the young age of four took zookeepers and animal experts by surprise.

The celebrity bear died suddenly in his compound at the Berlin Zoo on Saturday afternoon, bear keeper Heiner Kloes told The Associated Press. He waded into the water in his enclosure before having a short spasm and then dying in front of hundreds of zoo visitors. While the life expectancy of polar bear in the wild is between 15 and 20 years, animals in captivity can live even longer because they are not exposed to hunger, thirst or infections. A postmortem will be conducted on Monday to try to pinpoint the cause of death, Kloes said. "He certainly did not die of old age," Thomas Pietsch from the Vier Pfoten group for the prevention of cruelty to animals told German news agency DAPD. His death was met by an immediate outpouring of sorrow. As the news of Knut's death spread through the city, more Knut fans showed up at the zoo, assembling in front of the bear compound to mourn his loss. Berlin Mayor Klaus Wowereit called Knut's death "awful," telling the B.Z. daily, "we all held him so dear." "He was the star of the Berlin zoos," he said.

Abandoned at birth on December 5, 2006, along with his twin brother, who only survived a couple of days, Knut first attracted attention when his main caregiver, Thomas Doerflein, camped out at the zoo to give the button-eyed cub his bottle every two hours. Doerflein cuddled and played with him at daily public appearances to the delight of thousands of people who came to watch. Fan clubs sprung up across the globe, including in Japan, the United States and Germany. Fans followed his every move, including his weight battle — he had a weakness for croissants — or plans to move to a different zoo. "Knutmania" led to a 2007 Vanity Fair cover with actor Leonardo DiCaprio shot by photographer Annie Leibovitz, a film and plush likenesses. Though the zoo has never released exact numbers, Knut merchandise including postcards, key chains, candy and stuffed Knuts have brought in hundreds of thousands of euros. He was so adored, and profitable, Berlin's zoo paid some euro430,000 ($600,000) to the Neumuenster zoo to settle a financial dispute over his ownership.

Neumuenster owns Knut's father and had insisted it was the legal owner of Knut, the elder bear's first offspring. No longer a cub, Knut grew rapidly, weighing a hulking 440-pounds (200-kilograms) by age two, and trading in white fluff for yellowish fur. Doerflein, the zookeeper who raised him, died in 2008 of a heart attack, earning front page headlines in German newspapaper as "Knut's daddy." Between 600 and 700 people were at his compound when Knut died, zoo officials said. One visitor said she watched Knut lying on the surface of the water motionless with only his back showing for ten minutes until zookeepers came and fenced off the compound. "Everybody was asking, 'What's going on, why is Knut not moving?'" said Camilla Verde, a 30-year-old Italian who lives in Berlin. "All the zoo keepers who put up the fences were so very sad. One of them said, 'He was our baby,'" she said. Some said they feared Knut had died from all the stress that stardom brings.

"I suspect he died of a heart attack," said Elke Neumann, who had come to Knut's enclosure when she heard of his death. "And I hope the medical officials will be able to confirm that it was because of stress." _____ Markus Schreiber and Tomislav Skaro contributed reporting from Berlin. Reblog Polar Bear Knut's Death Tied to Brain Problems Polar Bear Knut's Death Tied to Brain Problems By Jeanna Bryner, Live Science Managing Editor | March 22, 2011 10:43am ET MORE The Berlin Zoo's beloved polar Bear Knut, whose antics and cute demeanor charmed the world, died unexpectedly over the weekend, on March 19. Credit: Berlin Zoo An animal autopsy of the 4-year-old polar bear named Knut that died suddenly at the Berlin Zoo on Saturday (March 19) showed distinct brain changes that may be the cause of death. The necropsy, or animal autopsy, was undertaken Monday (March 21) at the Leibniz Institute for Zoo and Wildlife Research.

"The preliminary results show distinctive anomalies at the brain, which could be seen as the cause of the ice bear's sudden passing," according to a press statement from the zoo. "Other irregularities on the organs could not be found from the pathologists." The animal died suddenly in front of hundreds of zoo visitors with no signs of any ailments. [ Images of Knut ] "There was absolutely nothing to see. I was there one hour before he died, and I saw him resting there and he recognized me and he was absolutely normal in his behavior," said Heiner Klös, bear curator and biologist at the Berlin Zoo who has been responsible for Knut's care since the bear was born. Klös had to stay outside of Knut's enclosure, so there was a barrier between the two, but he recalls the last time they had physical contact when Knut was just 10 or 11 months old. Though the necropsy is not yet complete, Klös said the fact that they didn't find any abnormalities in the animal's kidneys, liver or heart suggest stress did not play a role in the death .

"We are absolutely sure there was no stress and no heart attack, and no broken heart, if it's possible to find something like this," Klös told LiveScience. The life of a celeb Knut, born in captivity at the Berlin Zoo on Dec. 5, 2006, became a sensation after he was rejected by his mother and hand-raised by zookeeper Thomas Dorflein, who died of a heart attack in 2008. [ Image Gallery: World's Cutest Baby Wild Animals ] Though polar bears live alone in the wild, Klös said that in zoos where there's no real competition for food and space, the animals tend to play with one another — as long as you don't put two males together in an enclosure. To help Knut learn social skills, the zoo brought a young female, about 6 or 8 months old at the time, from the Munich Zoo to play with baby Knut. "Giovanna was a little bit stronger than Knut, and there was a fight between them, and Giovanna was the best one," Klös said during a telephone interview. Some days later, the two seemed to make up and were happily playing together, according to Klös.

(Giovanna, as per an agreement, was sent back to Munch a few months later.) Then, when Knut was 3 1/2 years old, Klös and other zoo staff decided to house him with three females in a larger enclosure. They gradually introduced the bears, starting with the youngest female. For the first two or three weeks, Klös said it was tough for the little guy who was not used to defending food or space from three big, strong females. During the last few weeks of his life, Knut seemed strong and was marking and defending his area of rocks, showing "I'm the male polar bear," Klös said. Knut's death Some visitors to the zoo may have thought Knut lived a sad life, but he didn't, Klös said. How can you tell if a zoo takes good care of its animals? - The Washington Post How can you tell if a zoo takes good care of its animals? The inside track on Washington politics. Be the first to know about new stories from PowerPost. Sign up to follow, and we’ll e-mail you free updates as they’re published. You’ll receive free e-mail news updates each time a new story is published. You’re all set!

Got it By Brian Palmer By Brian Palmer April 4, 2011 Ever since Knut , the Berlin Zoo’s 4-year-old polar bear, died last month, I’ve been wondering: How can I tell if a zoo is taking good care of its animals? This is a tricky question. Some animal advocates argue that zoos, by definition, are bad for wild animals. Even so, there’s no question that certain zoos treat their animals better than others. Unfortunately, it can be difficult to tell the difference between them. In the United States, zoos must have a license from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, but this bar is set quite low. The federal regulations that govern animal-exhibition licensing are vague and essentially guarantee only that the animals aren’t facing imminent death. Enclosure sizes, for instance, are basically required to be large enough only for the animals to stand up and turn around. And enforcement of the Animal Welfare Act, the basis for the regulations, is woefully underfunded, with 114 inspectors keeping tabs on 8,371 facilities, including research labs. When exhibitors lose their licenses, it often has more to do with visitor safety than animal welfare.

A far higher standard is accreditation by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums , the group that represents most of the country’s well-known facilities. Approximately 2,700 animal exhibitors have a USDA license, but fewer than 10 percent have earned AZA’s accreditation, which requires that the facility submit reams of paperwork on its enclosures, veterinary care and financial stability. (The AZA Web site includes a list of accredited institutions , among them the National Zoo, but an AZA zoo will also probably display the organization’s emblem somewhere near its entrance.) To stay accredited, zoos must participate in wildlife conservation and community education. They also must provide the animals with appropriate stimulation to keep their minds and muscles active — by having them follow a keeper’s commands or let them forage for their food, for instance. (Michael Sloan for The Washignton Post) Inspectors also try to evaluate animals’ psychological well-being. Repeated purposeless motions — what zoo professionals call “stereotypic behavior” — are a pretty clear sign of a troubled animal. Stressed polar bears have a tendency to pace, while elephants shift their weight back and forth for minutes at a time.

Even more alarming is when animals do nothing but lie in a heap at the back of their exhibit. Stress can also manifest itself in physical injuries such as sores and bald patches. As for enclosures, exhibits should give an animal enough room to break into a run or fly. There should be variation in surface type and elevation, so that the animals can decide where to spend the day. Social animals should be housed in appropriately sized groups, while solitary animals should be kept alone. The habitat should mimic the animal’s natural environs to the extent possible, and there should be enough shade for all the exhibit’s animals to use simultaneously. These can be helpful rules of thumb, but they’re rife with exceptions. Keepers sometimes have to isolate social animals because they’re sick or can’t get along with others. A creature that doesn’t budge during your visit may just be nocturnal — say, a koala or spectacled bear — or cycling through a natural period of torpor . An enclosure that looks small might actually connect to an extensive habitat out of public view. Zoo officials often ship discontented animals to different facilities, so some troubling behaviors may be a remnant of past trauma rather than present discomfort.

And unlike one-day visitors, AZA inspectors get access to an animal’s full social and veterinary history, and they sometimes even measure its corticosteroid levels as an indicator of stress. Even so, AZA accreditation doesn’t satisfy everyone. Critics point out that the organization’s standards are developed and approved by members of the zoo community. Moreover, they believe the standards are set not by the needs of the animals but by what the top zoos are realistically capable of providing. If no zoo could achieve accreditation, after all, the standards would become rather meaningless. In their view, accreditation is more an assurance of non-awfulness than a mark of excellence. Elephants provoke some of the sharpest debate. Some critics argue that even the best zoos do not provide appropriate room for an elephant to wander or socialize. The average Asian elephant herd has 20 calves, juveniles and adult females . (The bulls typically roam solo.) Elephants need enough space, the critics argue, to walk seven miles per day. But AZA officials say that’s an overstatement: Just because an animal walks miles and miles on the savanna doesn’t mean that that much exercise is critical to its health.

To support their argument, the anti-zoo advocates often point to a 2008 study in the journal Science, in which researchers found that African elephants in European zoos live far shorter lives than their counterparts in a Kenyan national park: a median of 16.9 years in zoos vs. 56 years in the park. (The researchers cited stress and obesity as likely causes of early death.) So what’s the bottom line? First, you shouldn’t support an unaccredited zoo unless you have investigated its animal care, a task few people can accomplish on a Saturday morning. Second, even if you’re at a good zoo, keep your eyes and ears open for signs of distress and don’t be afraid to ask the docents about what you’re seeing; better zoos will keep their people informed and capable of providing honest answers. Finally, if you can’t stand the sight of an animal staring longingly through a glass pane, you probably should just stay home. The Green Lantern is produced by the Web magazine Slate and can be read at . The Lantern thanks Chris Draper of the Born Free Foundation, Steve Feldman of the AZA and Don Moore of the National Zoo for their assistance on this story.

Is there an environmental quandary that’s been keeping you up at night? Send it to ask.the.lantern@gmail.com . national Knut the polar bear died of autoimmune illness usually found in humans | World news | The Guardian Knut Knut the polar bear died of autoimmune illness usually found in humans Knut died suddenly at Berlin zoo in 2011, but the cause of the illness was a mystery until a researcher noticed similar symptoms in human patients Knut the polar bear, who lives on as a life-size model at the Natural History Museum in Berlin. Photograph: David Gannon/AFP/Getty Images Thursday 27 August 2015 09.00 EDT Last modified on Thursday 27 August 2015 19.02 EDT Close This article is 1 year old When a four-year-old celebrity polar bear named Knut died suddenly at Berlin zoo in 2011, vets were at a loss to explain the death . Knut rose to fame as bear cub when he was rejected by his mother at birth, along with his twin brother who died within days.

To ensure the bear got his bottle every two hours, his main keeper, Thomas Doerflein, camped out at the enclosure. Knut became so famous he appeared on magazine covers. The day Knut died, shocked visitors saw him turn around a few times before slumping into the water at his enclosure. A postmortem revealed the bear had encephalitis, or a swollen brain, but the cause of the illness was a mystery. Knut, Berlin zoo's celebrity polar bear, died of brain illness Read more The first hint of an answer came when Harald Prüss, a researcher at the German Centre for Neurodegenerative Disorders in Berlin, read the postmortem report and noticed similarities between Knut and human patients with an autoimmune disease that caused brain swelling. Prüss noticed that antibodies in Knut’s blood looked similar to those he had seen in patients in 2010 whose encephalitis had yet to be explained. He contacted Alex Greenwood, an expert in wildlife diseases who was working on Knut’s case, and the two decided to investigate. Writing in the journal Scientific Reports , the researchers describe how they went on to uncover how Knut died.

They took sections of Knut’s brain that had been kept in storage and stained them to show the presence of antibodies. These revealed patterns that closely matched those seen in the brains of people with a rare autoimmune disorder known as anti-NMDA receptor encephalitis or anti-NMDAR, which causes seizures, cognitive problems and even coma. Knut is the first animal to be diagnosed with the disease, and the discovery has opened the door to new realm of research. “For domestic, wild and zoo animals this represents the birth of a new field of research and understanding of encephalitis of unknown origin,” Greenwood said. Antibodies that normally defend against viruses can turn on the body’s own tissues and attack its cells. Knut’s antibodies had attacked nerve cells in the brain important for memory and cognition, causing seizures that led to his drowning in the pool. Knut’s postmortem showed he had been exposed to flu viruses, but none of the bugs scientists found could explain his death. At the time, researchers did not consider that his death might have been caused by anything other than bacteria or viruses, because anti-NMDAR had only been discovered in humans four years earlier, in 2007.

People who are affected by the disease are treated with steroids and have antibodies removed from their blood. Knut showed no symptoms before his seizures and sudden death. Even had he shown symptoms, it may have been too late to treat him. Greenwood added that the discovery of the autoimmune disease in Knut could help explain a large proportion of currently undiagnosable cases of encephalitis in animals. “In the future, because treatment options are available in humans, that could easily be transferred to animals,” he said. “The death of many animals (particularly [those] of conservation concern) of encephalitis in the future may be preventable.” Knuts lives on as a life-size model , which has been on display at Berlin’s Natural History Museum since 2013. Berlin Zoo: Polar bear Knut has died Berlin Zoo: Polar bear Knut has died Add a message (optional) Success - Article sent! close In this March 23, 2007 file photo, Knut, the polar bear cub, has its first public appearance with his keeper in the Berlin zoo. A Berlin zoo official says world-famous polar bear Knut has died.

Bear keeper Heiner Kloes said that four-year-old Knut died Saturday afternoon while alone in his compound. He says the cause is not yet clear. Associated Press Associated Press BERLIN -- Berlin's beloved polar bear Knut, an international star who as a cuddly, fluffy cub graced magazine covers, movies and merchandise, died Saturday. His death at the young age of four took zookeepers and animal experts by surprise. The celebrity bear died suddenly in his compound at the Berlin Zoo on Saturday afternoon, bear keeper Heiner Kloes told The Associated Press. He waded into the water in his enclosure before having a short spasm and then dying in front of hundreds of zoo visitors. While the life expectancy of polar bear in the wild is between 15 and 20 years, animals in captivity can live even longer because they are not exposed to hunger, thirst or infections. A postmortem will be conducted on Monday to try to pinpoint the cause of death, Kloes said. "He certainly did not die of old age," Thomas Pietsch from the Vier Pfoten group for the prevention of cruelty to animals told German news agency DAPD. His death was met by an immediate outpouring of sorrow.

As the news of Knut's death spread through the city, more Knut fans showed up at the zoo, assembling in front of the bear compound to mourn his loss. Berlin Mayor Klaus Wowereit called Knut's death "awful," telling the B.Z. daily, "we all held him so dear." "He was the star of the Berlin zoos," he said. Rejected by his mother at birth on December 5, 2006, along with his twin brother, who only survived a couple of days, Knut first attracted attention when his main caregiver, Thomas Doerflein, camped out at the zoo to give the button-eyed cub his bottle every two hours. Doerflein cuddled and played with him at daily public appearances to the delight of thousands of people who came to watch. Fan clubs sprung up across the globe, including in Japan, the United States and Germany. Fans followed his every move, including his weight battle -- he had a weakness for croissants -- or plans to move to a different zoo. "Knutmania" led to a 2007 Vanity Fair cover with actor Leonardo DiCaprio shot by photographer Annie Leibovitz, a film and plush likenesses.

Though the zoo has never released exact numbers, Knut merchandise including postcards, key chains, candy and stuffed Knuts have brought in hundreds of thousands of euros. He was so adored, and profitable, Berlin's zoo paid some €430,000 ($600,000) to the Neumuenster zoo to settle a financial dispute over his ownership. Neumuenster owns Knut's father and had insisted it was the legal owner of Knut, the elder bear's first offspring. No longer a cub, Knut grew rapidly, weighing a hulking 440-pounds (200-kilograms) by age two, and trading in white fluff for yellowish fur. Doerflein, the zookeeper who raised him, died in 2008 of a heart attack, earning front page headlines in German newspapaper as "Knut's daddy." Between 600 and 700 people were at his compound when Knut died, zoo officials said. One visitor said she watched Knut lying on the surface of the water motionless with only his back showing for ten minutes until zookeepers came and fenced off the compound.

"Everybody was asking, 'What's going on, why is Knut not moving?'" said Camilla Verde, a 30-year-old Italian who lives in Berlin. "All the zoo keepers who put up the fences were so very sad. One of them said, 'He was our baby,'" she said. Some said they feared Knut had died from all the stress that stardom brings. "I suspect he died of a heart attack," said Elke Neumann, who had come to Knut's enclosure when she heard of his death. "And I hope the medical officials will be able to confirm that it was because of stress."

Question: What species of animal was 4 year old Knut, who died in Berlin zoo last year?
Answer: POLAR BEAR