Gus is the male bear at the Central Park Zoo. He is 18 and was born in Buffalo New York. Here he is enjoying a nap on one of the many rocks in the enclosure. The photo was taken on a hot August day. The fur of the polar bear acts as insulation and keeps him cool.

Photo by Joan Scheier

The polar bears today an enclosure that contains 90,000 gallons of water, a new wave pool as well as concrete rocks. The rocks have many flat areas for napping as well as caves for hiding. The keepers put out healthy treats for the bears that include fruits, vegetables, and peanut butter. The polar bears in the enclosure today are 18 years old and were born in zoos in the United States. Here are Ida and Gus sharing a moment in their enclosure.

Photo by Ferne Spieler

Ida is 18 years old and weighs 650 pounds. She can often be found in the window checking out the visitors who are checking her out.



Here is Ida our Polar Bear checking out the visitors. She actually looks from one to the other. I am showing the visitors that her paw is like a snowshoe so she doesn't sink into the snow.

There have always been two species at the Central Park Zoo from the 1860's to the present: sea lions and the polar bears. In the menagerie ( 1860-1934) there were polar bears and brown bears.

The Robert Moses zoo of 1934 had polar bears that climbed on rocks and were behind bars, which was common at the time. In addition the zoo had many animal statues.