Knut the Polar Bear

Ode to Knut

Knut the Polar Bear created quite a fuss in in his short life.  Born in captivity, Knut was rejected by his mother, resulting in his being raised by humans at the Berlin Zoo where he lived.  This in itself was controversial, in that some animal rights activists objected, arguing that he should not have been raised in captivity.

While the controversy was heated, it was good for the zoo, which boomed in the years Knut lived because of it. 

 Knut the Polar Bear had a sweet and charmed life, albeit short lived.   He died in 2011 at the tender young age of 4. 

Why are polar bears endangered?

In the United States, Polar Bears have not been declared “endangered” yet, only “threatened”.  The change in status could be a huge asset to insuring the survival of the polar bears.  The biggest threat to polar bears is climate change.  This is because the Polar Bears’ Habitat requires sea ice for them to hunt.  They go into a light “walking hibernation” during the summer months, so most of their nutrients come from the stored blubber from their winter hunts.  As winters become shorter and sea ice disappears faster, so also goes the polar bears’ habitat.

Some argue that the polar bear might adapt to the changing climate and become more astute at hunting on land.  This is an issue still open for debate.

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