Her name is Snowflake, and she clearly has what it takes to melt the public's hearts.
Germany's latest superstar polar bear cub made a winning debut yesterday.
Five hundred journalists and battalions of cameraman were there to record the occasion as the four-month-old bundle of fur emerged gingerly into her enclosure at Nuremberg Zoo.
Snowflake takes a dip and has a playful paddle
The little bear is the second cub to capture the imagination of the adoring public after Knut the polar bear put a tentative paw outside his enclosure several years ago.
She had to be coaxed out into the open then slowly nosed around the rocks and grass with the curiosity of a toddler - keeping close to her keeper, Horst Maussner.
But she quickly gained confidence, eventually bounding through the grass and plunging into the water.
Before long she was splashing and diving happily before climbing out to nibble on the zookeeper's shoe. There was a collective sigh of aaaahhh as Herr Maussner gave her a cuddle with simultaneous tummy-rub.
In she goes: Snowflake takes the plunge and her first dive turns out to be a bellyflop
Snowflake, or Flocke as she is known in German, had to be taken from her mother soon after her birth in December because of fears for her safety.
Nuremberg is hoping that she will prove as big a draw as Knut, her older counterpart at Berlin Zoo.
He has generated £5million in takings and souvenir sales since he was abandoned by his own mother in 2006 and raised by zookeepers.
Detlef Untermann, spokesman for Berlin Zoo, said there is room for both bears in the commercial market.
Drying off after a dip in the pool, Flock struts around 
The polar bear cub plays with a melon
"It's clear that people like it cute, small, cuddly and white; button eyes, button nose," he said.
"It's OK that way and Nuremberg can enjoy the attention of the public now.
"Berlin Zoo is not envious in any way, and Knut doesn't begrudge them either; he's been brought up quite well."
That, however, is a matter of debate. Animal rights campaigners who campaigned for Knut to be put down rather than raised by humans say he is now showing signs of mental problems.
He beckons photographers forward to take pictures of him, wails when no tourists stand before his enclosure, hugs trees for comfort and shows more and more aggression.
Recently he killed ten live carp which had been put into his moat to eat algae, biting their heads off and smothering himself in their blood.
Juergen Ortmueller, of the Whale, Bear and Dolphin Protection Forum, said: "Knut is a psychopath and there is every danger that Flocke will be one too."
The polar bear cub plays with a blanket
Source: Daily Mail UK, Apr.8, 2008
Move over Knut: Meet Snowflake, the new polar bear cub superstar 
Re: Move over Knut: Meet Snowflake, the new polar bear cub superstar 
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