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I saw Knut! in the Berlin zoo yesterday. Yes, he IS that cute, and no, I don't know if the experience was worth it. Entrance to the zoo costs 11€. Knut! is on display between 11-12 and 14-15 each day. We got there for the last ten minutes of the first showing and it was NUTS. I literally could not get a decent glimpse for more than two seconds at a time, as there were HORDES of people there.
To the Berlin zoo's credit, they set up two viewing circles, one for children on the inside, and one for adults on the outside, so at least the kids get to see the bear. Once the viewing ended we walked around the zoo for another two hours, thinking we'd get to Knut(!)'s enclosure at 13:40 for a good spot. Well. They actually close off the area right up until the showing, and there was a lineup of several hundred people in front of us, so we made the sane choice to leave and go for Indian food.
It's kind of amazing that Knut! has become such a huge sensation. It's not like no polar bear has ever been born in a zoo. I think the Berlin zoo realized what a marketing draw it would make, because dude, baby polar bear=THE CUTE, and cashed in. I suppose it's a better way to get funding than begging the government for money, so good for them, but the media circus around the whole thing is a bit much.
At any rate, these are the few good shots we got (thank you, Sigma 28-300mm lens!). Can you stand the cute?
