Knut the polar bear becomes museum display
BERLIN (AP) - Adorable in life, still attracting admirers in death: Knut the polar bear's hide has been mounted on a polyurethane body and is going on display in a Berlin museum.
The Natural History Museum on Friday unveiled the statue prepared by taxidermists featuring the famous Berlin Zoo bear's fur and claws, with the synthetic body and glass eyes.
The display runs through March 15. Knut will then be added to the museum's scientific collections.
Knut was hand-raised after his mother rejected him. He rose to stardom in 2007 as a cuddly cub, appearing on magazine covers, in a film and on mountains of merchandise. He died in 2011 after suffering from encephalitis.
The museum dismissed criticism of the decision to display Knut, saying it gives everyone an opportunity to see him.
The Natural History Museum on Friday unveiled the statue prepared by taxidermists featuring the famous Berlin Zoo bear's fur and claws, with the synthetic body and glass eyes.
The display runs through March 15. Knut will then be added to the museum's scientific collections.
Knut was hand-raised after his mother rejected him. He rose to stardom in 2007 as a cuddly cub, appearing on magazine covers, in a film and on mountains of merchandise. He died in 2011 after suffering from encephalitis.
The museum dismissed criticism of the decision to display Knut, saying it gives everyone an opportunity to see him.
yuck! why do people think it is cool to display dead animals?
sometimes you feel like a Knut.....
Is that pronounced Knut as in 'newt', or Knut as in squirrel?
@str1ngb3nd3r maybe it's a new Portland radio station....
@str1ngb3nd3r ~  I think it would be "newt", only with the "K" also pronounced; that is, the "K' is not silent... so it would be "Knewt"...