Polar bears are among the most challenging species to maintain in welfare-adequate captivity, with large territory requirements and complex behavioural needs that zoo environments struggle to meet.
Polar bears are one of the species that raises the most serious questions about whether zoo keeping can meet welfare requirements adequately. Evolved for vast Arctic territories and a lifestyle built around sea ice, polar bear hunting, and long-distance movement, their needs diverge most radically from what zoo environments can provide. Stereotypic behaviour in captive polar bears is well documented and widespread, indicating compromised welfare across the zoo sector globally. The best contemporary polar bear facilities have invested heavily in larger, more complex enclosures with water, enrichment, and social housing. These represent genuine welfare improvements, though whether they are sufficient to meet the welfare needs of an animal evolved for Arctic scale is legitimately contested. The ethics of keeping polar bears at all deserves honest engagement rather than defensive institutional response.