Public goes nuts for Knut the polar bear cub

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Knut, the polar bear cub at the centre of an animal rights row, was greeted by hoards of school children yesterday as he made his public debut at the Berlin Zoo yesterday.

The three-and-a-half-month old white bundle of fur appeared to lap up the attention as he padded around his new enclosure, entertaining onlookers by splashing in a pond and rolling in the dust.

The 19lb bear was accompanied by his handler Thomas Doerflein, who hand-reared the cub after he was rejected by his mother at birth.

Knut grabbed global attention after animal rights campaigners said hand-rearing was inappropriate for polar bears and that it would be less cruel in the long run to put him to sleep. But the German zoo has vowed to keep him alive and have given him his own video podcast so fans across the world can follow his progress




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