BERLIN: The Berlin zoo on Monday said Knut, the cuddly polar bear cub that has become a media superstar, had fallen ill and was being treated with antibiotics. The four-month-old bear's first public appearance of the day was cut short because he was not feeling well, said the zoo's bear curator Heiner Kloes. Kloes said the ailment was not serious, adding that Knut had taken a nap after the drugs were administered.

Knut was elevated to stardom after an animal activist said he should be put down after his mother rejected him at birth. Although the activist later claimed he had been misquoted, Knut's cause was taken up by the German media and within days the photogenic cub was splashed across the front pages of newspapers across the world.

His handler Thomas Doerflein has recounted how he carefully removed the newborn from his aggressive mother's cage and bottle-fed him round the clock like a baby.

Hundreds of animal lovers queue at the zoo daily to see Knut, who is brought into the open twice a day to allow the public to watch him splash in a pond, jump on rocks and play with Doerflein.—AFP