It’s a sad day in the animal kingdom. Heidi the cross-eyed opossum passed away earlier this week at the Leipzig Zoo. Heidi was put to sleep by a veterinarian. She was 3 and a half years old.

Heidi the opossum gained international fame because of her cute crossed eyes. She picked Oscar winners, had merchandise, and had her own Facebook page with more than 330,000 fans.

The zoo wrote on its website (Translated with the help of Google):

“The cross-eyed opossum Heidi has closed her eyes forever. After several weeks of discomfort from arthritis, Heidi opossum was treated with vitamins and supplements. After a temporary improvement, the 3.5 year old opossum’s health deteriorated so the animal has been euthanized.”

Leipzig Zoo Director Joerg Junholdsaid in the statement:

“We did everything possible to find the cause of her immobility.”

Reuters reports that Heidi the Opossum is the third German animal celebrity to pass away this year. Knut the polar bear died in March, and Paul the Octopus, who became a superstar in 2010 after correctly predicting several World Cup games, died earlier this year.

Here’s a video from the Associated Press:

Did you know about Heidi the cross-eyed opossum before she died? Will you be mourning Germany’s most recent animal celebrity to pass away?

Heidi The Cross-Eyed Opossum Dies is a post from: The Inquisitr

Two weeks after the death of 4-year-old Knut the polar bear at the Berlin Zoo, another large animal has died at the same zoo.

A necropsy performed on Knut after his sudden death revealed the bear likely died of drowning after falling into a pool in his enclosure. However, Knut’s fatal plunge was likely precipitated by an underlying encephalitic infection, causing inflammation of the brain. Experts say it was likely Knut would not have survived the infection had he not fallen into the water and drowned.

It seems infection could have lead to the death of an elephant at the zoo today. Shaina Pali, a six-year-old elephant, has died and infection has been pegged a likely cause in the animal’s death. Berlin Zoo spokeswoman Claudia Bienek would only comment to say Shaina Pali’s death was “simply very, very sad.” Typically, elephants can live up to 80 years in captivity. A necropsy will be performed to determine the exact cause of death.

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Second large animal dies at Berlin Zoo is a post from: The Inquisitr

Results of the necropsy (animal autopsy) done on Knut, the 4-year-old polar bear found dead in his enclosure last month in Germany, indicate that the beloved animal drowned.

Tests show Knut’s suffered from some swelling to the brain, likely due to an infection he had been ill with for some time, and that the encephalitis may have precipitated his drowning death. The infection was likely viral, said Achim Gruber, professor of veterinary medicine at Berlin’s Free University:

“We believe that this suspected infection must already have been there for a long time … at least several weeks, possibly months,” Gruber said, although he added that there had been no sign of anything amiss in the bear’s behavior.

Knut fell into the water in the enclosure in front of several zoo visitors, and water was found in his lungs, supporting the idea he drowned. But even had he been intercepted, pathologist Claudia Szentiks said the inflammation in his brain alone would have killed him:

“Given the massive scale of the inflammation, Knut would probably have died sooner or later — it wouldn’t really have been possible to save him.”

Knut rose to media fame after his 2006 birth at the zoo, and zoo officials may allow his remains to be stuffed and displayed at a museum.

Necropsy: Polar bear Knut died of drowning is a post from: The Inquisitr

Remember Knut the Polar Bear? In March 2007 the world focused on Germany after environment activists called on Knut to be put down after he was rejected by his mother. Knut survived, and went on to become the worlds most popular polar bear, and a huge hit for the Berlin Zoo.

Fast forward to the end of 2008 and the economic turmoil across the world means that Knut, now not so cute and cuddly no longer has a home. It’s time for Knut to find a mate, but the Berlin Zoo can’t afford an estimated $13 million to acquire an appropriate female and construct a new compound for them to share.

“It’s time for him to go – the sooner he gets a new home the better,” said senior bear keeper Heiner Kloes, quoted in The Times.

“Anything else would be financially irresponsible.”

Berliners though aren’t very happy, and are mounting a campaign to keep Knut, collecting petition signatures and arguing that he’s a crucial tourist draw and a symbol as important as the Brandenburg Gate.

“He means a lot to many people. When you’re with him you forget your problems for a little while,” Hartmut Wiedenroth, co-founder of the Knut Forever in Berlin campaign, told Spiegel Online via Canada.com.

Sad: Economic Crisis claims Knut the Polar Bear is a post from: The Inquisitr