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Diet : In the wild a Polar bear will primarily eat seals, specifically ringed seals, and other marine mammals. These predators are the most carnivorous of all bears, and tend to have a bad reputation because of it. But they have been known to eat plants and berries when available during the short Arctic summers. A Polar bear may consume as much as 100 lbs. of blubber in one sitting. These mammals have an acute sense of smell and are able to detect a seal in its den under the ice and scent a seal as far away as 20 miles. At the Central Park Zoo, Gus and Ida are fed their main meal at the end of the day after the visitors have left. Their meals include mackerel, chicken, beef, horsemeat, and what the keepers refer to as “bear chow”. Occasionally, the keepers will provide treats to challenge the bears. This could be in the form of swimming fish for Gus and Ida to hunt, or hiding a fish in a frozen block of ice. A very special treat is peanut butter. The bears must hunt out the peanut butter from rock crevices…encouraging their natural instincts and entertaining them as well.

Exhibit : The Polar bear exhibit is a rocky expanse containing a waterfall, some ice, and 90,000 gallons of freshwater. The water is 10 feet deep and the temperature isn’t regulated, but adjusts with the seasons between 45-75 degrees F. Each bear has a den with air conditioning to help get through the hottest days. And, of course, they also always have access to the water. Rumors of Gus being sighted in East Hampton during the summer months have never been confirmed.

Conservation : Currently there are approximately 40,000 Polar bears in the Arctic, but this number is dwindling. Global warming is affecting the poles twice as fast as it is here in New York. This means that ice is melting earlier and Polar bears are not getting enough food. This is especially important for female Polar bears. Pregnant females may gain up to 440 extra lbs. to prepare themselves for the den, where they will spend many consecutive months without eating. The female will live off her fat stores. If she does not have enough fat to live on when her cubs are born (avg. litter of two), her milk will not produce enough to feed the cubs and herself- she must abandon them to save her own life. By 2080, it is predicted that there will be no ice at all during the Arctic summer, meaning the Polar bears who use this ice to hunt for prey will probably go hungry.

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