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Gus, the much-celebrated polar bear at the Wildlife Conservation Society’s Central Park Zoo, has died. He was 27 years old.

Gus was euthanized yesterday while under anesthesia for a medical procedure conducted by WCS veterinarians. Gus had been exhibiting abnormal feeding behavior with low appetite and difficulty chewing and swallowing his food. During the procedure, veterinarians determined Gus had a large, inoperable tumor in his thyroid region. A necropsy will be conducted to determine the full pathology of the condition.

The median life expectancy for a male polar bear in zoos is 20.7 years, according to the Association of Zoos and Aquariums.

“Gus was an icon at the Central Park Zoo and a great source of joy for our visitors and staff,” said Jim Breheny, WCS Executive Vice President of Zoos and Aquarium. “He was an important ambassador for his species bringing attention to the problems these bears face in the wild due to a changing environment. Polar bears are apex predators – the kings of their domain, but vulnerable in a world affected by climate change brought on by human activity.”

Gus was a media favorite and appeared in many local and national newspapers and television newscasts as the face of the Central Park Zoo. In 1994, he gained media attention out of concern for his repetitive swimming pattern. An enrichment program was designed for Gus that included providing moveable items for him to manipulate, implementing positive reinforcement training sessions, and having Gus forage for food to keep his mind and body active and healthy.

It is estimated that more than 20 million people visited Gus at the Central Park Zoo throughout his lifetime. Millions of New Yorkers grew up with the polar bear. Gus had been at Central Park Zoo since 1988. He was born at the Toledo Zoo in 1985 and came to the Central Park Zoo in 1988.
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http://www.centralparkzoo.com/media/headlines/gus-obituary.aspx
 
Another zoo without polar bears. I'm really hoping for some cubs this year to keep the captive population evened.
 
What do you think will replace Gus? I can't really see anything but another Polar Bear but I can't see them getting a replacement so quickly. I also can't see Tundra moving there.

~Thylo:cool:
 
ThylacineAlive said:
What do you think will replace Gus? I can't really see anything but another Polar Bear but I can't see them getting a replacement so quickly. I also can't see Tundra moving there.

~Thylo:cool:
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- i was wondering that to. They will maybe get grizzly bears as they seem like one of the logical choices,
 
I hope they don`t get another polar bear. I feel the enclosure is way too small for such a large bear - if I remember right, Gus showed a lot of stereotypic behavoir, and a new bear would just develop the same problem there. I mean, it`s surely not the worst polar bear enclosure I`ve ever seen, but I think these big guys just need a lot more to keep them entertained and enable them to show natural behavoir.
 
uszoo said:
- i was wondering that to. They will maybe get grizzly bears as they seem like one of the logical choices,
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Hmm... Doesn't fit the geography of the exhibit as well but I suppose it would work. It's too bad that enclosure is one of those that can't really hold too many different species.

~Thylo:cool:
 
ThylacineAlive said:
Hmm... Doesn't fit the geography of the exhibit as well but I suppose it would work. It's too bad that enclosure is one of those that can't really hold too many different species.

~Thylo:cool:
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- I know as there are not many different polar animals. I feel it would be good for Walrus too, but they are in short supply.
 
I also hope they won't replace him with more polar bears. It was good for its time but things change. As for the theming, that side of the zoo could be revamped in general. You could keep the penguins and seabirds but incorporate the polar bear enclosure into temperate territory. Maybe rework it for spectacled bear and coati? If the water was drained could it even hold something like mountain goat or Japanese serow?
 
My fiance said NY would be outraged if they didn't get another polar bear. I brushed it off thinking they would not care that much and they would not get replacement due to the outdated exhibit. Perhaps I was wrong!
 
blospz said:
My fiance said NY would be outraged if they didn't get another polar bear. I brushed it off thinking they would not care that much and they would not get replacement due to the outdated exhibit. Perhaps I was wrong!
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Indeed.

It's not like New York is Polar Bear-less, though, and I'd honestly rather go to Bronx and see a larger and mostly better zoo along with the bear. I suppose a trip to Bronx for the zoo isn't as possible for many New Yorkers, though, as it is to go to Central Park.

~Thylo:cool:
 
I've thought about this for a while now - It's good to see other's thoughts! It would be nice to see Tundra moved to the Central Park Zoo; the exhibit there is not much larger but much better. I don't see a reason not to - it would sate the public and hopefully increase Tundra's welfare. It's obvious that in the future, Polar Bears won't be kept in Central Park; however, I don't think the zoo should give up keeping them too quickly, taken that there is a large number of Polar Bears being held in exhibits far below the grade of Central Park. Once that is no longer a problem (which, taken the vast numbers of exhibits being planned or opened, could be in less than a decade), I would like to see the exhibit expanded (As far as I know, there is approx. 3000 square feet of unused space adjacent to the habitat, bringing the size up to approx. 0.22 Acres) and merged with Temperate Territory.

As for inhabitants: North American Black Bears would add a North American species to temperate territory and keep with the tradition of housing bears; Pumas would do well; Amur Leopards, Asiatic Black Bears, or Grey Wolves could rotate with the Snow Leopards; I might also add Siberian Tigers, but the exhibit would be on the small side for them. As has been mentioned, hoofstock would do fine; It would be interesting to see the exhibit meshed and to have a Zoo Nordhorn-style mix of birds of prey and hoofstock - Or perhaps Bald Eagles and Pinnipeds? That would surely be a hit. Anyways, there's lots of great possibilities!
 
It's a shame for a scientific community that Gus is cremated. Just as his female was, with only a tissue sample preserved for study - and that's enough?
In the modern world, no zoo animal is valuable after death, with no excuse for specimen's rarity... the laws make them equal with dead livestock - a biohazard, a trash... When it will be changed?!
Are there many dead frozen polar bears lying in the Arctic, waiting to be picked up for some museum? Is it a game species, so we can always shoot one if needed?!
Moreover, such an old bear is a unique opportunity for research... and it was destroyed.
Like hundreds of beautiful zoo specimens in the world are being destroyed, every year. Pachyderms. Cetaceans. Apes. Big cats. And many more.
Because it's cheaper and easier than careful, non-invasive autopsy and proper mounting.
 
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