Update: Knut The Polar Bear Sentenced To Life At Berlin Zoo Forever
Filed under: animals — Michael Parrish DuDell @ 12:00 pm
July 9th 2009
Late last year Ecorazzi gave you the rundown on the latest drama with Knut — the polar bear that became a symbol of global warming after appearing on the cover of Vanity Fair.
The drama centered around the fact that Knut — who was born at the Berlin Zoo — had parents that were on loan from the Neumünster Zoo. Angry that the Berlin Zoo was reaping financial benefits from the cub, the Neumünster Zoo took them to court to get a little cash.
After much deliberation the judge ruled in favor of the Neumünster Zoo and will now be paid 350,000 euros this year and 40,000 euros per year for the next two years by the Berlin Zoo.
And what about the bear?
Knut the polar bear will live out the rest of his life at the Berlin Zoo. Probably sad. Probably lonely. And probably wishing he could roam free.
Moral of this story: capitalism and conservation can’t really coexist. They just sorta can’t.
This is horribly sad.
In this pic he looks like one of the yip yip aliens from Sesame Street, no?
http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_yXpT1aRy2as/Sco9IrTqdsI/AAAAAAAABxg/5yIgI598k7Y/s320/yipyip_lg.jpg
He can’t be released into the wild. Yes it is sad that he will live in captivitly, but he does have a crew of people who care for him and love him. They try there best to provide enrichment for him. It isn’t ideal, but it’s what we are working with now.
I agree with Lucy. He was born in human care, and therefore would not know how to function in the wild. He does not wish to roam free – his home is in the zoo. And he is probably happy, as he is cared for by an undoubtedly loving staff. I am not pro-captivity, by any means, but I really feel that people need to THINK before they say things, and they really need to realize that animals CAN BE HAPPY in human care, when properly cared for and enriched.