Zoos in battle over Knut the polar bear’s riches

He was the polar bear cub lauded the world over, who provoked fierce debate on animal rights, appeared on the cover of Vanity Fair magazine at the height of his fame, and has latterly been diagnosed as being addicted to human laughter and applause.

However, the latest twist in the Knut saga is, not surprisingly, centred around money – and precisely who has the rights to the Knut goldmine.

A legal battle between two zoos has begun in Berlin, with the Neumuenster zoo in northern Germany claiming it is due a slice of the Knut millions because the polar bear’s father, Lars, resides there and, as such, it is the legal owner of Lars’s first offspring.

Knut himself lives in Berlin zoo, where he is thought to have been the cause of a €5m (£4m) increase in revenue last year. Visitor numbers rose by 30%, making it the most successful year in the zoo’s 163-year history.

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Tagged as: Animal Rights, Animals, Baby Animals, Baby Polar Bears, Bears, Berlin Zoo, Knut, Money, Neumuenster Zoo, Polar Bear Cubs, Polar Bears, Vanity Fair, Zoos