Polar bears in zoos face welfare challenges from captivity conditions while serving conservation education functions, as wild polar bear populations face existential threat from Arctic warming.
Captive polar bears represent the tension between conservation education value and individual animal welfare. The behaviors seen in many zoo polar bears — repetitive pacing, head-bobbing — indicate that even well-resourced facilities struggle to meet the welfare needs of wide-ranging Arctic predators. Some progressive zoos have concluded that polar bear keeping is not welfare-compatible without specialized facilities.