A year after his public debut, Knut was reported as weighing more than 130 kg (286 lb). Very strong six-inch glass was put up between him and the zoo visitors. At the end of March 2008, Markus Röbke, one of the zookeepers who helped raise Knut, said the bear should leave the zoo to help him get used to living alone. Röbke also said that Knut misses Thomas Dörflein, who was like a father to him, and that he cries when no one is near him. "Knut needs an audience," Röbke said. "That has to change".