Knut, a polar bear* cub* who has become a global celebrity*, made his first public appearance at Berlin Zoo on Friday under the gaze of the world’s media.

The three-and-a-half-month-old white cub toddled* around his enclosure*, occasionally nibbling* the boots of his handler Thomas Doerflein.

German Environment Minister Sigmar Gabriel appeared with the little bear after adopting* him.

The nine-kilogram bear stole the heart of Berliners after he and his brother were born in December, 2006, but rejected* by their mother Tosca. His brother died. Knut was reared* by the zoo.

Doerflein moved into the enclosure to look after him round the clock, bottle-feeding him and playing Elvis Presley songs for him on his guitar.

Knut’s fate grabbed global attention again after an animal rights campaigner* said hand-rearing polar bears was a violation* of animal rights.

Despite a heated debate over whether it is right to hand-rear the cub, the zoo has said it will not kill the bear.

“We are not worried about Knut’s future,” Berlin Zoo vet* Andre Schuele said. “As a male he will grow big and strong. Polar bears are loners and he will be fine — it doesn’t matter that he has been hand-reared.”

Knut now has his own song: “I was born in a zoo in the middle of Berlin. I have a lot of friends even a penguin...”

Many schools took their pupils on a special trip to the zoo to get a glimpse of the new star.

“My pupils would love to take him home,” said Eva-Maria Kraemer, a teacher at a Berlin primary school.

At least 200 journalists from around the globe gathered at the zoo for “Knut Day.”

Knut has also drawn attention to the plight* of polar bears as worries grow that global warming is contributing to the melting of their icy arctic habitat*.

(SD-Agencies)