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More Tributes To Knut's Keeper

Dörflein's Grave Becomes Pilgrimage Site

First they flooded the Berlin Zoo with flowers and memories. Now fans of Knut's recently deceased zookeeper have taken their mourning to his final resting place in the German capital.

When Thomas Dörflein, the 44-year-old zookeeper who hand reared world-famous polar bear cub Knut, died suddenly of a heart attack last month, the world responded with shock and grief. Fans flooded the gates of the Berlin Zoo, leaving behind flowers, stuffed animals and notes containing handwritten memories in tributes worthy of Princess Diana.

On Friday, Dörflein's family laid the beloved zookeeper to rest in a private burial. Around 40 members of Dörflein's family and friends -- including his mother, girlfriend and two children -- attended his private burial.

Though he has only been buried for three days, fans are already making pilgrimages to his grave in Berlin. Several hundred people have dropped by to leave flowers, poems and photos at his final resting place.

And almost three weeks after his death, people continue to pay tribute to Dörflein at Knut's enclosure as well as a Web page set up in the zookeeper's memory. The Berlin Zoo set up a condolence book on its Web site that, by Monday afternoon, had already attracted close to 11,000 postings from around the world.

rbn -- with wire reports

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