The End of an Era

Berliners are in mourning this week following the loss of their favourite son, Knut the polar bear. On Saturday, in front of hundreds of onlookers, the big fella just rolled over and died in his swimming pool at Berlin Zoo. An initial investigation of his corpse suggests he was suffering from brain damage.

I find it hard to get really emotional about this, especially when there is so much human suffering around the world already at the moment - in Japan, the Arab Peninsula and North Africa. But that didn't stop the local tabloid, BZ, printing a special edition booklet commemorating the life of Knut and his former zookeeper, Thomas Dörflein. The Berlin Zoo says it is going to build a commemorative statue for Knut. It all seems a bit over the top really.

But I will miss him too, a bit. Over the four years of his short life, "our" polar bear became a source of constant news for the Berlin press. The death of his zookeeper, his first attempts to swim and his first romance .... we followed it all with unberlin-like enthusiasm. Now, the city is on the lookout for a new cuddly animal to idolise. Another item of fauna that will brighten up our day. But don't worry Knuto, we will never forget you.