Grizzly bears in the Lower 48 states of the US have recovered from near-extinction through legal protection. Their welfare in both wild and captive settings reflects complex management trade-offs.
Grizzly bear welfare is profoundly affected by management decisions. In the wild, recovering populations increasingly encounter human communities, triggering conflict and management responses including hazing, relocation, and lethal removal. Each intervention involves welfare costs. Captive grizzlies, including those rescued from the wild as orphaned or problem bears, require enormous spaces and complex environments to avoid the severe psychological harm that bears in inadequate conditions routinely display. Non-lethal coexistence tools — electric fencing, bear-proof food storage, and community education — are both more humane and more effective than reactive management.