Polar bear Knut's death linked to encephalitis

April 2, 2011 Two weeks after the celebrity   died unexpectedly, an  report  shows that the immediate cause of death was. It also reveals Knut was suffering from a resulting in a  that led to his fall into the  water.

The four-year-old polar bear had been living at the at the since birth and was a popular attraction. Just before his death he  turned around in circles  in front of hundreds of zoo visitors, and then fell into the pool  in his enclosure  and  died.

The final autopsy report determined that a large amount of water was found in his lungs and  the immediate cause of his death was drowning, said  Achim Gruber,  of, at a news conference.

The autopsy also showed  that  Knut was suffering from , a  swelling and inflammation of the brain that can cause seizures, and  is the likely explanation for his collapse into the pool, according to experts who studied the report. Knut's encephalitis was the result of an undetermined infection that was probably caused by a, said Claudia Szentiks, lead pathologist of Knut's autopsy. Ruled out during the autopsy were causes of encephalitis such as or a.

Szentiks said, "Given the massive scale of the inflammation, Knut would probably have died sooner or later."

The zoo’s original plan to  Knut  for display is being vigorously opposed by his fans, who have organized a "Stop the Stuffing of Knut" protest scheduled  for Saturday.