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Young World
Star act II
Berlin Zoo first had a star act in Knut, the polar bear who was hand-raised. Now Knut has a rival in Nuremberg zoo — a four-week polar bear cub who has been taken away amid fears that its mother, Vera, might harm it. Recently another bear named Vilma killed and ate her cubs because they were sick. When Vera was noticed carrying her cub in her jaws, officials decided to hand-raise it. Knut was the first cub to be hand-raised by zoo authorities after being rejected by
his mother. His case attracted tremendous attention and visitors to the zoo went up by about 20 per cent after his public debut in March 2007. With four keepers hovering around it, being fed high-fat milk every four hours, the little cub weighs in at 3.75 pounds. Nuremberg zoo officials are also looking for another bear cub — polar or brown — to raise along with their current baby since they feel it would help its development. The cub, expected to make its first public appearance in April, is to be named through a public competition. Can Vera’s cub match Knut’s star power? He has his own blog, TV show and has appeared on the cover of the German Vanity Fair. Wait and watch!
COMPLIED BY R. KRITHIKA
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