Knut is doing just fine, thank you. Berlin’s leading furry citizen is all grown-up. No longer an adorable celebrity fuzzball, Knut’s become a man – so to speak. He’s even got a live-in girlfriend at his small yet centrally located bear pad in the German capital. The only thing missing for an ursine happily-ever-after to this story is a couple of cute cubs of his own.

That is, if it weren’t for the killjoys at Peta. This week the animal rights group claimed that Knut and his lady Giovanna shared the same grandfather – which could lead to detrimental inbreeding should the two decide to start a family. The solution? Castrate Knut!

Perhaps not. First of all, the demand to snip Berlin’s favourite furry son is coming from an organisation known for its hunger for publicity. Peta would sell its own grandmother to create a few choice headlines – if you known what I mean.

Besides, what kind of signal does it send if Berlin neutered a city institution known around the globe? And let’s not mention the whole panda baby bust at the Berlin Zoo, shall we? If anything, the still extremely broke German capital could use another baby polar bear or two to keep the tourists happy.

So let’s keep our paws off Knut’s balls.

This commentary was published with the kind permission of Berlin newspaper Der Tagesspiegel, where it originally appeared in German. Translation by The Local.