New photos released by Berlin Zoo show Knut exploring the outside world in a special enclosure. The tiny polar bear can now walk quite well, the zoo's management said Friday.
Knut was born on Dec. 5, 2006, the first polar bear cub to be born in Berlin Zoo in 30 years, and spent his first 44 days in an incubator. He's being raised on a bottle by his dedicated keeper, Thomas Dörflein -- who has slept in the zoo since Knut's birth -- because his mother Tosca rejected him. Knut follows Dörflein around everywhere, the zoo reports.
Since his birth, Knut has become a superstar in his native city. He's been featured in the newspapers -- Berlin daily Der Tagesspiegel has a regular column and Web site devoted to him -- the city's ice hockey team, the Eisbären (Polar Bears), want to adopt him as a mascot, and even Berlin's popular mayor, Klaus Wowereit, is reported to be a fan.
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