Tragedy as Fritz the polar bear cub dies aged just four months after suffering liver problems

Fritz the battling polar bear cub has died in captivity aged four months.

The cub had attracted international attention after he was born at Berlin’s Teirpark zoo and initially survived despite health problems.

The zoo asked for suggestions to name him and the request drew more than 10,000 responses from around the world.

Fritz had been celebrated across Germany as an heir to Knut, who was born in a rival Berlin zoo in 2006.

Knut turned into a global sensation for surviving against long odds when he was rejected by his mother at birth. He was reared by keepers but died in 2011.

And sadly Fritz has suffered a similar fate, losing his battle with liver problems no Tuesday.

“We’re speechless, saddened and depressed,” said Tierpark zoo director Andreas Knieriem of Fritz’s death.

“It’s astonishing how the little polar bear captivated our hearts.”

The little cub was born back in November and was taken very special care of so he grew up big and strong.

The fur of the polar bear cubs only starts to grow after the tenth day and they open their eyes after four or five weeks.

The baby polar bear weighed about 600 grams, while their mother weighs 300 times more.

The zookeepers keep their distance from the polar bears following the birth, but do follow each and every moment through infrared cameras and microphones.

For the health of the cubs, it is best that no one disturbs the babies since they need their mother’s milk to quickly gain weight.

If their peace is disturbed, there is a risk that the mother will abandon the babies.

This was exactly what happened with Berlin’s most famous polar bear Knut.

Knut was rejected by his mother at birth and was raised by the zookeeper Thomas Doerflein, who took care for him in his apartment, feeding him from a bottle and playing with him.

Pictures of the cute polar bear cub and his caring zoo keeper were a hit across the globe.

At the age of four, Knut experienced a seizure, collapsed and died in his enclosure at the Berlin Zoological Garden, the city’s other zoo. With the birth of the twin cubs, Berlin hopes to have again some new animal icons for the city.