Knut the Suffering Polar Bear

Knut, perhaps the most famous polar bear in the world, exhibits this strange behavior hour after hour, day after day at the Zoological Garden ("Zoologischer Garten") in Berlin, Germany. He takes exactly 11 or 12 steps in each direction -- even stepping on the same spots on the same rocks -- as he paces back and forth along the same short path. He remains in his small area, even though he has a much larger space to roam around.

When a zoo staff member asked why Knut does this, he said it was because Knut saw him coming with his feed. But the feeder was nowhere in sight when this video was taken.

While Knut suffers from obvious emotional problems, the zoo makes millions of Euros a year. What a shame!

Category:

Nonprofits & Activism

Tags:

• Knut
• Polar Bear
• Eisbär
• animal rights
• animal welfare
• animal protection
• Berlin
• zoo
• tierschutz
• Zoological Garden
• Zoologischer Garten

[quinn168]

It doesn't matter, because he's dead now. Thank you Berlin Zoo.

[quinn168]

Hello Wellingtonnews,

Good idea -- very possible. But I have seen this behavior in caged animals before -- and they do it whether or not someone is watching up close. It is a classic response to being caged. Anyway, I think it is very sad.

Thanks for the good comment,

Cheers from Berlin,

Mark

[1683angel]

As someone else has already said its a common behaviour seen in Zoo animals, generally we classify this as a stereotypical behaviour, once the animal has learnt to perform this behaviour it is very hard to get them to stop. I should also point out it does not mean there is anything necessarily wrong with him or his welfare, sometimes it happens for no reason at all!

[GetOffMe221]

guys, you really cant blam the zoo.

he was rejected by his mother while he was a cub, and there was something wrong with his brain. his twin brother also died but at an early age.

[NinaTaralon]

What if he was just eagerly looking out for the one who was feeding him?

Greetings from a berliner in Cologne

[olive4naito]

He might like having some alone time in privacy away from spectators. Isn't there an animal sanctuary where animals can go after they pass a certain age and had their fill of being "watched"?

[Wellingtonnews]

Perhaps he does it because people keep watching him? Or filming him, perhaps?