Knut to lose his home in the Berlin Zoo

Knut, the adorable superstar polar bear who shared a Vanity Fair cover with Leonardo DiCaprio, faces inevitable expulsion from his home in Berlin Zoo.

The polar bear will turn two years old, but it’s hardly any cause for celebration. The full-grown bear weighing 440 pounds has become too big for his enclosure in the zoo, it looks like the zoo can’t big a new home for Knut because of lack of space. The Berlin Zoo’s bear keeper said that a bigger space is needed for Knut and a mate.

Another problem is that by the time Knut is old enough to reproduce, the female bears in the zoo will be too old to have cubs. The zoo prioritizes survival of the species above anything else, and would be willing to let Knut go if he won’t be able to reproduce there.

The polar bear has become the Berlin Zoo’s most famous attraction ever since he made his first public appearance as a supremely cute, button-eyed baby bear. Knut generated almost $8.6 million of profits for the zoo through merchandise that bear his image.

Zoo officials are currently holding negotiations for a new home for Knut with other zoos not only from Germany, but from other European countries too, like Norway and Denmark.