Polar bears are the iconic species of climate change. Their welfare is affected by sea ice loss causing starvation, human-wildlife conflict, and conditions in the zoos that hold them.
Wild polar bears experiencing sea ice loss are effectively being starved as their sea ice platform for seal hunting disappears. Extended fasting periods beyond what bears have physiologically adapted for cause muscle catabolism, physiological stress, and in extreme cases, death from starvation — a prolonged welfare harm affecting entire populations. Bears that enter human settlements are typically deterred or removed to bear jail (Churchill) before release — a stressful but short-term intervention. Captive polar bears in zoos face chronic welfare challenges from space restriction — polar bears walk up to 60 km per day in the wild. Most welfare scientists consider polar bear welfare in captivity as inherently problematic given their spatial needs.