It is all very very sad. Knut was a polar bear born in the Berlin Zoo, rejected by his mother, left alone by his brother who died in infancy, and raised by a zookeeper who, in turn, died when Knut was not yet two. Knut himself died last month. "Standing on a rock, he spun in circles, had a seizure, then fell into the water, where he died." [not a bad way to go] NY Times, April 12, 2011 http://www.nytimes.com/2011/04/12/world/europe/12berlin.html?hp
Now the debate - the director of the zoo wants to have Knut stuffed and put on display. Knut's admirers disagree .... strongly.
Knut was surprisingly the subject of much controversy during his short life. Some animal rights activists argued that it was wrong to raise him with humans. Poor Knut even received death threats (or so Wikipedia claims). He ate carp and was criticized. PETA suggested he should be castrated. Hundreds of people were visiting and watching Knut when he died.
So, so sad.......
