It was only two weeks ago that Knut the world famous polar bear drowned at the Berlin Zoo. And early today, officials told the AP that a six-year-old Indian elephant named Shaina Pali died there. A veterinarian suspects an infection is the cause of death, and a necropsy is being performed.

Swelling in Knut's brain caused the world's favorite captive polar bear to fall into a pool and drown two weeks ago, a German pathologist told reporters today. Knut's encephalitis explains why he was stumbling around and suffering from panic attacks before his death. So yes, he was still basically crazy.

Wow, looks like PETA might have been right about something! Last year, the animal rights group said the world's favorite captive polar bear, Knut, was basically crazy and that he "suffers from panic attacks and 'sways to and fro' in an abnormal manner." (PETA last year also said Knut's balls should be cut off, so fuck them and their ridiculous campaigns that make all vegetarians look look like assholes.) However, the the group may have been at least partially correct:

Last week, we all mourned the untimely passing of Knut—the adorable polar bear (and Deutsche Vanity Fair cover-cub) born to a Berlin zoo back in 2006. Less missed, however, will be Knut's lesser-known den-mate, Kunt—a short-tempered female described by staff and zoo visitors as being "generally unpleasant to be around." Her passing is considered suspicious and is currently under investigation. [Reddit]

Incredibly sad news from the Berlin Zoo today: Knut, the world famous polar bear, has died. A bear keeper at the zoo, Heiner Kloes told the AP:

Life in the Berlin Zoo sucks for Knut the polar bear. He's being bullied by female bears in his cage. Said one zookeeper: "Instead of enjoying himself with the three ladies, he cowers fearfully in a corner." Maybe he's nuts?

Has the world's most famous polar bear gone the way of Britney Spears, a mentally-addled trainwreck of an aging child star? Berlin Zoo's Knut "suffers from panic attacks and 'sways to and fro' in an abnormal manner," says one scientist.

Not only has the producer of CGI-animated megahit Garfield offered the Berlin Zoo $5 million to turn the story of snuggly German superstar Knut The Tragically Rejected Polar Bear Cub into a family-friendly blockbuster, but he's dreaming big about casting the potential voiceover talent after being inspired by a certain celebrity toddler's recent visit to the animal's home: "I see the heartwarming relationship between Knut and his caretaker, Thomas Doerflein at the center of the movie ... Suri [Cruise] could speak the English voice of Knut." Though it would seem a natural fit to try and also attach Suri's proud stage father as the caretaker, the producer for now is limiting his casting ambitions to the youngest member of the Cruise clan because, "I think we all need to see how the public reacts to Tom's performance in Valkyrie before offering him another role as one of Germany's national heroes. If he can't pull off the Nazi-hunter gig convincingly, we don't want that tainting our Knut project." [People.com]