Berlin Zoo's polar bear Knut recovers from toothache

Photo: Berlin Zoo's polar bear Knut recovers from toothache

The Berlin Zoo’s bear cub Knut is a real celebrity: his every twitch has been reported by fawning media. Now he is coming back before his fans after one-day break to recover from toothache.

Knut was given a respite on Monday from his twice-daily one-hour appearances before thousands of visitors after he received medication to help with a painful canine tooth coming in.

On Tuesday, his recovery seemed full enough to allow the 4Ѕ-month old cub's show to go on, zoo veterinarian Andre Schuele said.

"Knut's doing better," Schuele said. "He's mobile and frisky."

Born at the zoo on Dec. 5, Knut was rejected by his mother and hand-raised by zookeepers. He is now nearly 15 kilograms (33 pounds).

So great is his appeal that zoo attendance has roughly doubled to a daily average of 15,000 since his debut, officials said. He has his own blog and TV show and appeared on the cover of Vanity Fair.