Lifestyle
The four-year-old bear rose to stardom when he was hand-raised by the Berlin Zoo keepers after being rejected by his mother at birth.
Updated : Mar 20, 2011, 02:29 PM IST
PETA has claimed that Knut - the famous German polar bear who passed away in his habitat of an unknown cause -could have been saved.
The four-year-old bear rose to stardom when he was hand-raised by the Berlin Zoo keepers after being rejected by his mother at birth.
A representative for PETA said they contacted to Berlin Zoo months ago to alert them to the fact that the bear was being "terrorised" by three female polar bears - including his own mother!
"PETA Germany repeatedly asked zoo authorities to move Knut away from the three females to a different location. His premature death could possibly have been avoided. Polar bears don't belong in captivity," TMZ quoted the representative as saying.
A necropsy is planned for Monday to determine the cause of death.