Reporters dubbed him "neurotic", "depressed", and "flaky",[3][5] turning him into a "symbol of the stress of living in New York City".

[10] The zoo hired an animal behavioral therapist at a cost of $25,000 to determine the reason for Gus's obsessive swimming.

[2] He ordered an "enrichment program" for the polar bear that included a redesigned habitat, "challenges" at mealtime, new toys and "positive-reinforcement training sessions".

: The True Story of a Big-City Bear,[13] which publishers described as a "timeless tale of the quintessential outsider coping with the harsh reality of New York in the '90s".

[5] At age 27, Gus had exceeded the life expectancy of polar bears in captivity, which averages 20.7 years.

[3] Following Gus's death, the Central Park Zoo closed the exhibit until 2015 when the enclosure re-opened with two new grizzly bears.