Gus (polar bear) facts for kids
Gus in November 2011
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| Species | Ursus maritimus |
|---|---|
| Sex | Male |
| Born | 1985 Toledo, Ohio, United States |
| Died | (aged 27) |
| Known for | 'Neurotic' residency at Central Park Zoo in New York City |
| Parent(s) | Nanook, Snowball |
Gus (1985–2013) was a large polar bear who weighed about 700 pounds. He was a very famous animal at the Central Park Zoo in New York City. Over 20 million people visited his exhibit during his lifetime. Gus became well-known in the 1990s because he started swimming back and forth in his pool for many hours each day. News reporters said he seemed "stressed" or "bored." He became a symbol for how busy and sometimes stressful life can be in New York City.
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Gus's Early Life
Gus was born in 1985 at the Toledo Zoo in Ohio. His father, Nanook, came from the Bronx Zoo to the Toledo Zoo to have cubs. Gus's mother was named Snowball. In 1988, Gus moved to the Central Park Zoo, which became his new home.
Why Gus Became Famous
In the 1990s, Gus became the "face" of the Central Park Zoo. He was featured in many media promotions and publications. It's estimated that 20 million visitors saw Gus during his life.
Gus's Unusual Behavior
In 1994, zoo workers noticed Gus was acting strangely in his habitat. He would swim back and forth in a figure-eight shape for up to 12 hours a day. This kind of behavior in animals living in zoos often means they are bored or stressed.
The zoo decided to help Gus. They hired an animal behavior expert for $25,000. The expert said Gus was "just bored and a little bit crazy, like many people in New York."
Helping Gus Feel Better
To help Gus, the expert suggested a special "enrichment program." This program included:
- Changing his habitat to make it more interesting.
- Making mealtime more challenging, like hiding his food.
- Giving him new toys to play with.
- Using positive training methods to encourage good behavior.
In 2002, the BBC reported that zookeepers even put a jacuzzi in his pool to try and cheer him up. Gus also received special medication to help him feel calmer. After a few months, his obsessive swimming became less frequent, but it never completely stopped.
Gus and his two partners, Lily and Ida, were even featured at a big meeting in 2005. This meeting was about how to make zoo animals' lives better.
Gus in Books and Songs
Because of all the attention around his behavior, Gus became a symbol of the "stressed" New Yorker.
- In 1995, a funny book called What's Worrying Gus?: The True Story of a Big-City Bear was written about him. The book cover shows Gus in a therapist's office.
- He was also in two children's books: Gus the Bear, the Flying Cat, and the Lovesick Moose: Twenty Real Life Animal Stories (1995) and Gus: The Feeling-Better Polar Bear (2009).
- There was even a play called Gus and a song about him, "Gus: The Polar Bear From Central Park," by the band The Tragically Hip.
Gus's Partners
Gus had two female polar bear partners during his life.
- His first partner was Lily, who passed away in 2004 at 17 years old.
- His second partner was Ida, who passed away in 2011 at 25 years old from liver disease.
Gus never had any cubs.
Gus's Final Years
Zoo officials noticed that Gus seemed sad after Ida passed away in 2011. In the summer of 2013, he started having trouble eating. He didn't have much appetite and found it hard to chew and swallow food.
Zoo veterinarians gave him medicine to make him sleep so they could check what was wrong. They found a large tumor near his thyroid gland that could not be removed. Because of this, they made the difficult decision to euthanize him. This means they humanely ended his life to prevent him from suffering.
Gus was 27 years old when he passed away. This is much older than the average life expectancy for polar bears in zoos, which is about 20.7 years.
