Spectacled bears are the only bear native to South America and face welfare challenges in captivity related to their frugivorous diet, arboreal tendencies, and the cloud forest habitat they are adapted to.
Spectacled bear welfare in captivity requires understanding of their unusual ecology as a primarily frugivorous, arboreal Andean bear. Unlike the more omnivorous brown or black bears, spectacled bears are adapted to a cloud forest environment of high humidity, fruit abundance, and arboreal feeding opportunities. Exhibits that replicate temperate or boreal environments, or that fail to provide climbing structures and diverse fruit enrichment, are poorly matched to this species' needs. Dietary management must emphasise fruit and plant material over the meat-heavy diet sometimes used for bears generally. Stereotypic pacing in captive spectacled bears is strongly associated with inadequate space and foraging complexity — indicators that the exhibit is failing the animal's welfare requirements. Solitary housing or carefully managed pair housing that provides retreat options is preferable to forced social grouping for this naturally asocial species.