Mourners flock to Berlin zoo to lay floral tributes to much-loved bear

Fans of polar bear Knut flocked to lay flowers outside his zoo enclosure yesterday, mourning the sudden death of a bear who burst into the limelight as a cuddly cub hand-fed by his keeper.

The four-year-old celebrity bear died on Saturday in front of hundreds of visitors, taking keepers, animal experts and fans by surprise. The life expectancy of polar bears in the wild is between 15 and 20 years, and longer in captivity.

"I can't comprehend what happened there. He was happy before, there were no signs of anything - it's so shocking," said Eveline Litowski, who said she had come to the zoo to find out more about Knut's untimely death.

Ms Litowski was among a throng of fan's at Knut's empty compound yesterday morning who laid down white roses, lit candles or put up pictures of Knut with personal messages for the bear - and speculated on the cause of his death.

The bear was rejected by his mother at birth on December 5, 2006, along with his twin brother, who only survived a couple of days. He first attracted attention when his main keeper camped out at the zoo to give the cub his bottle every two hours.

Fan clubs soon sprung up across the globe, including in Japan, the United States and Germany. They followed his every development, including his weight battle, and the plans to move him to a different zoo.

"Knutmania" led to a 2007 Vanity Fair cover with actor Leonardo DiCaprio shot by photographer Annie Leibovitz.