No more lonely nights for Knut the Polar Bear. The best-known resident of the Berlin Zoo will soon share the spotlight with a 3-year-old polar bear named Gianna, marking the first time the famous bear has ever come in contact with his own species. According to the Spiegel online, Gianna will arrive in September when her enclosure in the Munich Zoo Hellabrunn closes for renovations.
Knut may not have an easy time wooing his first girlfriend, however. Italian-born Gianna so disliked Yoghi, her previous suitor in Munich, that she had to be resettled to a new residence – which she shared with Knut's grandmother. There's no need for chaperoning, though, as Knut has a few more years to go before he's ready to mate.
Still, Knut's many fans hope that Gianna will give him the companionship he has so sorely missed since the sudden death of his beloved caretaker, Thomas Drflein, almost a year ago. When Knut's mother had rejected her cub after giving birth, Drflein moved in with the baby polar bear to raise him by hand. He even gave Knut his name.
Just one month ago, Knut was at the center of a bitter custody dispute between the Neumnster Zoo, home to Knut's father, Lars, and the Berlin Zoo, where he was born. The Berlin Zoo paid some $600,000 to retain custody of their top attraction.
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