A file photo of a Berlin zoo employee playing with polar bear cub Knut in this undated picture, released on January 24, 2007. Berlin Zoo rallied to the defence of Knut on Tuesday, rejecting demands that the animal be allowed to die after being abandoned by its mother. (File Photo) Photo Gallery>>>

    BEIJING, March 21(Xinhuanet) -- Berlin Zoo's abandoned polar bear cub Knut looks cute, cuddly and has become a front-page media darling, but an animal rights activist insisted Monday he would have been better off dead than raised by humans.

    "Feeding by hand is not species-appropriate but a gross violation of animal protection laws," animal rights activist Frank Albrecht was quoted as saying by the mass-circulation Bild daily, which has featured regular photo spreads tracking fuzzy Knut's frolicking.

    "The zoo must kill the bear."

    When Knut ¡ª or "Cute Knut," as the 19-pound bear has become known ¡ª was born last December, his mother ignored him and his brother, who later died. Zoo officials intervened, choosing to raise the cub themselves.

    The story prompted quick condemnations from the zoo, politicians and other animal rights groups.

    "The killing of an animal has nothing to do with animal protection," said Wolfgang Apel, head of the German Federation for the Protection of Animals.

    The German animal rights organization "Four Paws" argued along similar lines, saying it would not be right to punish the cub for a bad decision made by the zoo.

    Other activists have also argued that current treatment of the cub is inhumane and could lead to future difficulties interacting with fellow polar bears.

    Knut, who recently posed for a photo shoot with star-photographer Annie Leibovitz for an environmental protection campaign, is scheduled to make his public debut at the zoo later this week or early next week, according to the veterinarian Andre Schuele. 

    Until then, Germans can follow the bear's progress in a vast photo spread and videos of Knut drinking from his bottle, bathing and playing with teddy bears and soccer balls, all available on the zoo's Web site.
   
    (Agencies)

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