BABY POLAR BEAR KILLS PANDA


The Sydney Morning Herald reports on the unintended consequences of saving orphaned polar bear Knut:

Now there's a sinister edge to the celebrity frenzy surrounding Knut, the baby polar bear.

Top-selling Bild reported the influx of visitors to the zoo -- about 30,000 a day -- could have stressed the black and white bear, who spent much of her time lying on her back chomping at bamboo shoots.

"Lots of people gave up on seeing Knut because of the long queues, so they went to see Yan Yan instead. She seemed intimidated and anxious," wrote the paper, suggesting Yan Yan could have had a heart attack.

It looks like environmentalists were right in demanding Knut be dispatched. Or maybe not, Yan Yan died aged 22, a ripe old age for a panda.