Goodbye Knut (VIDEO)

The world is mourning the loss of Knut, the 4-year-old polar bear that died suddenly at the Berlin Zoo on Saturday.

Now, autopsy results show that distinct brain changes that may have been the cause of death.

The necropsy (A.K.A. animal autopsy) was done on Monday at the Leibniz Institute for Zoo and Wildlife Research.

“The preliminary results show distinctive anomalies at the brain, which could be seen as the cause of the ice bear’s sudden passing,” reads a press release from the zoo. “Other irregularities on the organs could not be found from the pathologists.”

The animal died suddenly in front of hundreds of zoo visitors with no sign of illness.

Knut was born in captivity at the Berlin Zoo on December 5, 2006 and became a sensation after he was rejected by his mother and hand-raised by zookeeper Thomas Dorflein, who died of a heart attack in 2008.

Here is a touching tribute to Knut.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iNWrFmCCfXw

Related articles

• Brain Problems May Have Caused Polar Bear Knut’s Death (livescience.com)
• Knut died from brain woes, early tests indicate (cbsnews.com)
• Knut Has Passed Away (neatorama.com)