Brain problems apparently caused the shockingly early death of Knut, Germany’s four-year-old celebrity polar bear, the Berlin Zoo said Tuesday.
Initial findings from a necropsy performed last Monday 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.
The zoo didn’t elaborate on the changes to Knut’s brain, and officials could not immediately be reached.
Photo: AFP
照片：法新社
Pathologists found no changes to any other of Knut’s organs, the zoo said, adding that it will take several days to produce a final result. Further planned tests include bacteriological and histological, or tissue, examinations.
Knut died on March 19 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 even longer in captivity.
The polar bear, who was born in December 2006 at the Berlin zoo, rose to celebrity status as an irresistibly cute, fluffy cub.
Photo: Reuters
照片：路透
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 caregiver, Thomas Doerflein, camped out at the zoo to give the button-eyed cub his bottle every two hours.
Knut went on to appear on magazine covers, in a film and on mountains of merchandise.
Doerflein, the zookeeper who raised him, died in 2008 of a heart attack.
Photo: Reuters
照片：路透
The zoo now wants to have Knut stuffed and put on display at Berlin’s Museum of Natural History, Deutscher Auslands-Depeschendienst (DAPD) reported.
It quoted a zoo spokeswoman as saying that the decision was made because Knut was a much-loved animal and officials wanted to make him available to science.
(AP)
柏林動物園週二表示，「德國享年四歲的明星北極熊克努特猝死，可能是大腦明顯損傷所致。」
園方在一篇聲明中表示，德國首都的一個機構上週一初步驗屍後發現，「（克努特）腦部有明顯的損傷，這可能是這隻北極熊猝死的原因。」
園方並未詳細描述克努特腦部的損傷，而同時園方官員也無法即時取得聯繫。
園方說，病理學家發現克努特的其他器官並無異狀，並補充說最後的結果還要等數天後才會出爐。更多要做的檢查包含細菌學與組織學的檢驗。
克努特三月十九日，繞圈數次後，隨即在動物園遊客目睹下，跌入圈地內的水池，與世長辭。北極熊在野地裡平均可活到十五到二十歲，而在圈地裡可活得更久。
這隻北極熊二零零六年十二月在柏林動物園誕生，之後以一隻可愛到難以抗拒的毛茸茸幼熊模樣，登上明星的地位。
他一生下來就與其雙胞胎兄弟一起遭到母親棄養，其雙胞胎兄弟只活了幾天。當負責照顧牠的飼養員湯瑪士‧杜夫來恩露宿動物園，每兩小時給這隻有鈕扣眼的幼熊餵奶。
克努特之後出現在雜誌封面、登上電影螢光幕，並且還有大量與他相關的商品。
從小養育克努特的飼養員杜夫來恩，二零零八年因心肌梗塞過世。
《德國國際通訊社》報導，園方想要將克努特製成標本，展示於柏林自然歷史博物館。
通訊社引用園方女發言人的話說，下這個決定是因為克努特曾是個備受寵愛的動物，且官員們想要讓牠對科學有所貢獻。
（美聯社／翻譯：林亞蒂）
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