About 125,000 people descended on Berlin zoo over the Easter weekend to get a glimpse of Knut, the polar bear cub who has become a global sensation, the zoo said on Monday.
About 300,000 extra people have visited since the four-month-old cub, who was rejected by his mother at birth and is now being raised by a handler, first appeared in public on March 23.
Faced with the Easter crush, the zoo authorities had to set up a one-way system past Knut's enclosure to ensure all his fans got a peek.
The 13.8-kilogram (30-pound) bear comes out into the open air twice a day, around midday and in the early afternoon, to jump on the rocks, wade through the pond and roll around to the delight of his hundreds of admirers.
Such is the global interest that the zoo has trade-marked Knut's name for use on t-shirts, posters, postcards, sweets and toy bears. A Berlin bank is even planning to put the bear's image on its bank cards.
Other zoos have also recorded increased visitor numbers since the Knut phenomenon began.
Meanwhile, Berlin zoo has begun separating Knut from his handler, Thomas Dorflein, who has been feeding him with a bottle. It has to be done carefully to ensure the bear is not traumatised.
