The internet loves cute animals. Over the holidays, Siku, a baby polar bear in Denmark, became the latest animal sensation for people to ooh-and-ahh over.

Siku is just a month old. The polar bear was born at the Scandinavian Wildlife Park and is being hand-raised by Danish zookeepers. According to the NY Daily News, the zookeepers are raising the cub by hand because its mother doesn’t have enough milk to feed him.

The month-old-polar bear got his first taste of fame this weekend when the zoo posted a video of the young cub stretching and playing. The video has been viewed more than a half million times and Siku’s Facebook page has already gathered thousands of fans.

Here’s the video of Siku.

The Daily Mail reports that Siku, which means “ice” in Greenlandic, is poised to be the next Knut. Knut, a polar bear who was also orphaned at birth, was hand-raised by zookeepers in Berlin.  Knut passed away earlier this year. 

Do you think Siku is cute enough to become the next Knut?

Siku, a Baby Polar Bear, Becomes Internet Sensation [Video] 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

A woman who jumped into the polar bear enclosure at the Berlin Zoo has been mauled, with the entire thing caught on camera (see pic above.)

The unnamed 32 year old woman is believed to have entered the enclosure to visit Knut, the polar bear that became world famous two years ago when authorities said they were going to put him down after he was abandoned by his mother.

To get to the bears, the woman jumped a fence then swam across a water course, directly to the bear that attacked her. Zoo keepers managed to push the bear off her, but only after it had locked its jaws around her neck. The woman was rushed to hospital where she was treated for bites.

Surprisingly this isn’t the first time someone has tried to visit Knut. A man jumped the fence last December, and was fortunate to escape unharmed.

Woman mauled by Polar Bear at Berlin Zoo 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