Beloved Central Park Zoo polar bear Gus dead at 27

[Rational Jew]

 
http://www.nypost.com/p/news/local/manhattan/beloved_central_park_zoo_polar_bear_HHdeERrpKuVWgpXgFuGgiO?utm_source=SFnewyorkpost&utm_medium=SFnewyorkpost

[Joe Gutfeld]

My family and I would go to the Zoo at least once a year to see Gus and his 2 friends.  I went the second day when the zoo was reopened in 1988.  Gus jumped against the glass and scared everyone there.  But he didn't escape.  Nothing bad had happened with him after since when I saw the bear. 

[Rubystars]

I didn't know polar bears even lived that long.

[Binyamin Yisrael]

It's evil that they killed him. That's why animal rights activists are hypocrites. Animals should only be killed for food or other uses or if they threaten the life of a human.

[nessuno]

He might have been suffering.  He looked very old when I visited the zoo a few years ago.

[Lisa]

That inoperable tumor Gus had was most likely cancer.  Bears get it too.  I think it would have been cruel to give the bear chemo. 

[Binyamin Yisrael]

That inoperable tumor Gus had was most likely cancer.  Bears get it too.  I think it would have been cruel to give the bear chemo.

It's also cruel to end its life. It doesn't know how to say no. It's like abortion except that it's not murder (Murder is only for the wrongful killing of innocent humans.). It's definitely some type of animal cruelty to kill them. Also, since animals don't have a soul, killing them removes their life from the World forever.

Humans have no right to take animals out of the wild if they will kill them when they don't want them anymore.

That's why the SPCA is really the Society FOR the Cruelty to Animals. You can compare the acronym to AIPAC which should really be the Anti-Israel Public Action Committee or the American Islamic Public Action Committee. Also, you can compare it to the Durban Conference For Racism which claimed to be against racism. Or as Chaim says the NAACP is the National Association for the Annihilation of Caucasian People.

[muman613]

This article from Ohr Samayach discusses some of these issues:


Putting animals "to sleep."

Richard from Mt. Vernon, NY, wrote:

As a "follow-up" to your answer about Euthanasia, is it Halachically permitted to put animals "to sleep"?

Dear Richard,

The prohibition against causing pain to animals is a serious one, and is treated as such by Jewish Law, which not only forbids man from causing pain to animals, but also bids him to help relieve the pain of animals.

I spoke to Dr. Kaufman, a Jerusalem veterinarian, to find out what putting animals to sleep involves, and under what circumstances the procedure is done. She told me that, in general, she would do this only for animals that had been in an accident and the ensuing treatment would be too costly, or for pets dying and in pain.

Though, when Dr. Kaufman was working at the Tufts University Animal Clinic, a woman wanted her dog "put down" for an unusual reason: She had just redecorated her house, and her "lovey, lovey, koochie koo" no longer matched the decor! Even though Dr. Kaufman suggested giving the dog up for adoption, the lady refused, stating that if she couldn't have her "lovey, lovey" then no one could!"

The general method for putting an animal to sleep is to give it Phenobarbital, an anesthetic. Once the animal is unconscious, it is given an overdose. The method for putting many animals to sleep at one time is to gas them with Carbon Dioxide, an anesthetic that eventually stops their breathing. In short, every effort is made to make the process painless.

I asked Rabbi Chaim Pinchas Scheinberg, shlita, about the ruling in this case, and he told me that it would be Halachically permissible to put an animal to sleep since it is a painless procedure. However, there is a Kabbalistic tradition, he notes, that forbids the ending of any life.

Rabbi Aryeh Levin tells a story about a walk he once took with Rabbi Kook. While they were walking, Reb Aryeh "absent-mindedly" pulled a leaf from a tree. Rabbi Kook stopped and asked him why he did that. "Why I did what?" responded Reb Aryeh. Reb Aryeh relates that Rav Kook illustrated to him how one should be very careful about life, even the life of a leaf.

Sources:

Shemot, 23:5.
Talmud - Tractate Shabbat 128b.
Shulchan Aruch - Choshen Mishpat, 272:9.

[muman613]

Only one of the ten cats I have had has been Euthanized (and not by me, but my ex-wife at the time).... She regretted it after doing it. All my other pets have died naturally (although they may have experienced pain). My first cat died in my arms at age 18 (died in 2000)...

[nessuno]

I think Gus, probably, had a pretty good life.
He lived better than most New Yorkers do and lived beyond his life expectancy.
Free home, free food and free medical care.  Isn't that what most people aspire to today.
Gus never lived in the wild.  He lived on prime real estate in Manhattan.  Lucky him.
All joking aside...
I think what they did was merciful and I'm sure it was not an easy decision.  There are no words to describe what was happening to him.  What was the point of making him suffer?  He had a terminal illness.

It's evil that they killed him. That's why animal rights activists are hypocrites. Animals should only be killed for food or other uses or if they threaten the life of a human.

[Rubystars]

Binyamin, I don't personally believe God creates conscious, feeling beings just to annihilate them forever. Obviously humans are on a higher level of existence and are much more important but I do think that when an animal dies their conscious being goes back to God.

Beliefs aside though, it's very important to understand that quality of life is very important and not just extending of life.

For the sake of argument, if there was no afterlife for humans or animals, and if someone offered you the chance to be alive for 200 years, but in exchange for that, you had to have excruciating pain every moment of that life that extended beyond what would have been your natural lifespan, would you take it? Wouldn't you rather accept that life ends, and that even if there is no afterlife, it's better to die than to live in extreme pain?

Putting a very sick animal to sleep is usually an act of love and compassion, not of evil or cruelty. It should be done with thoughtfulness, but sometimes it is best.

[Rubystars]

I spoke to Dr. Kaufman, a Jerusalem veterinarian, to find out what putting animals to sleep involves, and under what circumstances the procedure is done. She told me that, in general, she would do this only for animals that had been in an accident and the ensuing treatment would be too costly, or for pets dying and in pain.

I agree. Another good reason would be if an animal was vicious and there was no safe way to rehabilitate them or keep them in a safe environment away from those they might harm. Shelters around the USA put a lot of dogs and cats to sleep due to overpopulation too, which I think is really sad. I hope one day there are alternatives to this and that fewer people allow their pets to breed.

Though, when Dr. Kaufman was working at the Tufts University Animal Clinic, a woman wanted her dog "put down" for an unusual reason: She had just redecorated her house, and her "lovey, lovey, koochie koo" no longer matched the decor! Even though Dr. Kaufman suggested giving the dog up for adoption, the lady refused, stating that if she couldn't have her "lovey, lovey" then no one could!"

What a horrible, horrible person. God will punish her for her selfishness. The same mindset leads women to kill their babies in the womb or like Casey Anthony, even outside of it. "This baby will ruin my ability to party every night", etc.

Rabbi Aryeh Levin tells a story about a walk he once took with Rabbi Kook. While they were walking, Reb Aryeh "absent-mindedly" pulled a leaf from a tree. Rabbi Kook stopped and asked him why he did that. "Why I did what?" responded Reb Aryeh. Reb Aryeh relates that Rav Kook illustrated to him how one should be very careful about life, even the life of a leaf.

There's some truth to that. I remember feeling like  maybe I had done somethng wrong when I'd randomly pulled some leaves off of branches before out of boredom, but I thought maybe I was just being silly. It is destructive to one of God's creations though to do that for no purpose other than boredom, although as far as we know that isn't causing pain.

[Lewinsky Stinks, Dr. Brennan Rocks]

I didn't know polar bears even lived that long.

A lot of wild animals, particularly those whose lives are filled with fighting or dangerous hunting, live much longer in captivity. In the wild, age ten is very old for a lion because they are constantly fighting each other for control of their prides, but in zoos they can get close to thirty. Or compare the lifespan of an outdoor housecat with an exclusively indoor one.

[Lewinsky Stinks, Dr. Brennan Rocks]

It's also cruel to end its life. It doesn't know how to say no. It's like abortion except that it's not murder (Murder is only for the wrongful killing of innocent humans.). It's definitely some type of animal cruelty to kill them. Also, since animals don't have a soul, killing them removes their life from the World forever.

Humans have no right to take animals out of the wild if they will kill them when they don't want them anymore.

That's why the SPCA is really the Society FOR the Cruelty to Animals. You can compare the acronym to AIPAC which should really be the Anti-Israel Public Action Committee or the American Islamic Public Action Committee. Also, you can compare it to the Durban Conference For Racism which claimed to be against racism. Or as Chaim says the NAACP is the National Association for the Annihilation of Caucasian People.

Give it a rest dude. The bear was old and in extreme suffering. This has nothing to do with the ASPCA. This was the merciful action. Keeping the creature alive would be torture.

[Lewinsky Stinks, Dr. Brennan Rocks]

It's too bad that Gus didn't get a chance to do what he was born to do, hunt and eat wild meat. If Lewinsky were sane, during either of his two tenures, he could have easily sent Gus the donation of a few prime fattened Fakis.

[Joe Gutfeld]

That inoperable tumor Gus had was most likely cancer.  Bears get it too.  I think it would have been cruel to give the bear chemo.

I agree with Lisa's point.  After the second of the 2 girl bears died in 2011, Gus was very upset and didn't do much but lie around in the cage.  I knew that he was heartbroken that he didn't have another girl bear with him anymore.  I also knew that he was also sick for a long time.  He might have been better off, but I would have liked to see him one more time before he died.

[Super Mentalita]

RIP Polar bear...

[Lisa]

I believe that Klondike and Snow's father Olaf in the Denver zoo also had some cancer.  The mother bear Ulu also died of a strange growth in her body. 

Also, I once saw Gus at the Central Park Zoo.  His enclosure was tiny.  I should think he's in a better place now. 

[Rubystars]

Only one of the ten cats I have had has been Euthanized (and not by me, but my ex-wife at the time).... She regretted it after doing it. All my other pets have died naturally (although they may have experienced pain). My first cat died in my arms at age 18 (died in 2000)...

It's better if you don't have to do it but sometimes it's necessary if the animal's pain can't be controlled.  I'm sorry for the loss of your cats

[Rubystars]

A lot of wild animals, particularly those whose lives are filled with fighting or dangerous hunting, live much longer in captivity. In the wild, age ten is very old for a lion because they are constantly fighting each other for control of their prides, but in zoos they can get close to thirty. Or compare the lifespan of an outdoor housecat with an exclusively indoor one.

Good point!

[TruthSpreader]

Wow that's amazing. How long do polar bears live anyway?