Fritz the four-month-old polar bear cub dies after collapsing in enclosure at Berlin Zoo

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Chloe Chaplain7 March 2017

A polar bear cub born at Berlin Zoo has died after being found lifeless in his enclosure.

Keepers found the four-month-old cub, called Fritz, “listless” in his enclosure on Monday morning.

He was taken from his mother Tonja and rushed to a nearby wildlife research centre for medical examination.

It was discovered the bear had life-threatening inflammation of the liver and he was kept on an intensive care unit overnight.

Fritz polar bear dies aged four months at Berlin Zoo

On Monday the Zoo director Dr Andreas Knieriem said: "Fritz has a massive hepatic inflammation, which indicates a serious illness.

“We very much hope that the little polar bear will recover and survive this night. We are all very worried.”

Cub: Fritz with his mother Tonja (EPA)
Tierpark Berlin/EPA

But German news sites announced on Tuesday morning that he “did not make it” and had died.

The young cub, which was born in November, was the first polar bear to survive birth in the zoo for more than 20 years.

Cub: Fritz was on found listless in his enclosure on Monday (EPA)
Tierpark Berlin/EPA

He was due to be presented to the public in March.

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