Knut the Polar Bear
Unlike wild polar bears, Knut was born and bred in captivity. In fact, Knut was the first polar bear in thirty years to be born in the German zoo and survive past infancy.
PETA is calling for Knut the Polar Bear to be castrated. Knut the polar bear became a world wide hit after his birth in 2006. Sadly, he was rejected and abandoned at birth by his mother and so it was left to the zookeepers to raise him. Bottle fed and taught to play football by workers at the zoo, Knut became increasingly popular with the public and was soon loved by millions.
However, now animal right campaigners are calling for Knut to be castrated. Knut has been sharing a compound with a three-year-old female polar bear from Munich Zoo and papers have speculated that the zoo may be hoping to mate the two animals. The German branch of PETA, however, have stated that because the bears share the same Grandfather mating the two would be incestuous. They assert that they should only be allowed to live together if Knut is castrated.
The German Zoo officials believe there is no need for castration and suggest they will not be breeding the pair.
With Strangles Awareness Week just around the corner (5-11 May), vets are being encouraged to share a survey about the disease with their horse-owning clients.
