Bear facts of a life in limelight

Hollywood photoshoots, weight-gain problems and 'that' biography - it's another day in the life of celebrity polar bear Knut, writes Derek Scallyin Berlin

Fame is a fickle beast, as Knut the polar bear from Berlin is about to learn. Shunned by his mother at birth last December, the tiny white bundle of fur became a white-hot media sensation on his debut in Berlin Zoo two months ago.

But his 15 furry minutes of fame could be dwindling because of the simple fact that Knut is not as cute as he used to be.

His weight has doubled in just five weeks to 17kg, thanks to a steady porridge diet administered by keeper Thomas Dörflein. The bear's baby face is gone too, and the bulky polar bear shoulders are making themselves apparent.

"His teeth are sharper and he's stronger, he still gets porridge but we now feed him beef on the bone occasionally," said a zoo spokesman this week.

Keepers are monitoring the bear's development closely. At present, keeper Dörflein still helps Knut get to sleep, but at some point in the future the bear will have to learn to sleep unaided. Once adolescent aggression sets in, Knut is on his own.

"At the moment, handling him is no problem and we don't have a timetable in that regard," the spokesman added.

Despite his growing pains, Knut is still pulling in the zoo visitors - over 25,000 people last weekend - and the range of Knut merchandise continues to grow, from Knut Gummi Bears to Knut porcelain.

But, following the lead of other ageing models, Knut has decided to cash in on his fame by expanding his brand. In recent days he signed a book deal and took up a new job as a mascot in the fight against global warming.

US publishing house Scholastic - itself facing an uncertain future when the last Harry Potter book appears in July - has signed up the Berlin bear as its latest star.

Knut: How One Little Polar Bear Captivated the Worldwill appear first in German, then in English, highlighting the plight of polar bears in rapidly dwindling Arctic habitats.

"Knut has come along at a time when the environment is front and centre of everyone's agenda and he stands out as an environmental icon that can reach young and old," said Craig Hatkoff, the author of the book. "We are hoping that a little polar bear can help the world de-polarise the complex issues . . . and to raise awareness of the issues in the global climate debate."

Hatkoff seems to be a specialist in celebrity animal publishing - he has already written Owen & Mzee, a true-life love-story between a baby hippo and a 130-year-old giant turtle.

But even before the book appears, Knut has gone global thanks to monthly glamour magazine Vanity Fair. Its star photographer, Annie Leibowitz, flew in secret to Berlin in February to photograph the baby bear. Now, thanks to the wonders of Photoshop, Knut can be seen on the cover of this month's "Green issue", staring up in wonder at Hollywood star Leonardo DiCaprio on a glacier in Iceland.

If only the two had met in real life, DiCaprio could have passed on worldly advice to the furry one about how to deal with titters over sudden weight gain or the career-killing whispers of being over the hill, and the gold rule of celebrity: grin and bear it.