Love Connection for Cute Knut: Polar Bear May Just Get the Girl!
Finally – some great news for cute Knut, the famous two-year-old polar bear that captured the hearts of many! The white-as-snow bear is getting the chance to make a very special love connection with a two-year-old stunner named Gianna.
Baby Knut
Knut had a rough start in life. His mother, a former circus bear, rejected him at birth and his twin brother died when he was just four days old. So the Berlin Zoo made the decision to raise Knut by hand. Zookeeper Thomas Dorflein became Knut’s surrogate 
dad. Needing constant care, Thomas slept next to Knut and even sang him Elvis songs at bedtime. The special bond between zookeeper and bear was obvious and many would drive miles to watch the two interact.
Sadly Dorflein died unexpectedly of a heart attack in 2008. He was only 44. In honor of this very special zookeeper, the Berlin Zoo established the Thomas Dorflein Prize, awarded to outstanding zookeepers in Dorflein’s memory.
Love Connection
According to reports, Gianna will be transported from the Hellabrunn Zoo in Munich to the Berlin Zoo where the two will be formerly introduced in September. Because Knut has not encountered other polar bears since he was a youngster, zookeepers will erect a special fence, called a “canoodling fence”, for Knut and his new gal-pal. The two will begin their courtship with the fence between them, just in case. And if all goes well, the two will have access to each other.
Polar Bears
Polar bears, Ursus maritimus, are listed as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List. Threats to the polar bear include climate change, pollution, poaching and loss of habitat.
Knut was the first polar bear to be born at the zoo in more than 30 years. Against the odds, the world embraced the star of the Berlin Zoo and watched him grow despite his rough start. With his own song , Wikipedia page, websites and a slew of cuddly toys named after him, Knutmania appears to be alive and well. And with a romance looming on the horizon, hopefully there will be no more sad songs for this famous polar bear!
Adult Knut photo by Herbert Orth
Baby Knut photo courtesy of Jens KoBmagk
Knut has contributed so much to our knowledge and awareness if climate change and how it is affecting certain species of animals. He has made us more sensitive to the nature of animals and has entertained us. What a precious bear and may he find some happiness with Gianna. Loved this story.
I hope this story is true. As a close follower and real supporter of Knut he now needs a bigger island and a friend. He’s a delightful bear and anyone who sees him cannot help but be touched by his disposition. This would be a happy chapter in an otherwise lonely life of this young bear. As polar bears struggle to survive in the Arctic, bears in captivity are probably the only future for the survival of this species.