A combination photo shows polar bear cubs (top to bottom) Knut, Flocke and Wilbaer playing in their zoo enclosures in Berlin December 5, 2007, in Nuremburg April 8, 2008 and in Stuttgart April 16, 2008. (Xinhua/Reuters Photo) Photo Gallery>>>

    BEIJING, April 17 (Xinhuanet) -- A 4-month-old polar bear emerged for public view in a German zoo Wednesday, becoming the third and latest celebrity polar bear in the country, media reported.

    But different from Berlin Zoo cub Knut and Nuremberg Zoo cub Flocke, Wilbaer has an affectionate relationship with his mother Corinna and initially stuck close by her when he debuted in the Wilhelma Zoo.

    Dieter Zauch, the zoo chief, worried that little Wilbaer's upbringing was too happy to satisfy Germany's mania for poignant animal stories.

    "People are more attracted by disasters. I don't believe we are going to get thousands of people queuing up here to see this bear," Zauch said.

    The hearts of Germans went out last year to Knut and this year to Flocke after they were rescued from their abusive polar bear mothers and hand-raised by keepers.

    Wilbaer, 17 kilograms, was born on Dec. 10, a day before Flocke. However, the zoo only announced his birth at the end of February, citing the media frenzy as its reason for keeping the arrival under wraps at first.

    Keepers at the zoo kept mother and infant strictly out of public view till Wednesday, though Wilbaer has taken some previous swims when zoo visitors were not looking.

    Still, zoo officials say they have had his name -- a combination of the zoo's name and the German for bear, "Baer" -- registered as a trademark.

    (Agencies)

Polar bear cub Wilbaer lies under his mother Corinna in his their enclosure at the Wilhelma zoo in Stuttgart during his first appearance April 16, 2008.(Xinhua/Reuters Photo) Photo Gallery>>>