As sea ice declines, polar bears are increasingly foraging on alternative foods onshore, with welfare implications for their nutritional status.
Polar bears surviving on lower-quality terrestrial foods are effectively experiencing chronic nutritional stress compared to their evolutionary optimum. While some dietary flexibility exists, the caloric deficit from terrestrial versus marine prey accumulates over multiple seasons, reducing body condition and reproductive success. Individual bears foraging near human communities face removal risk that represents both welfare and conservation harm.