Polar bears are among the most difficult species to maintain in zoos, with large space requirements, cold-water needs, and behavioural complexity that challenge most facilities. As climate change threatens wild populations, their conservation value in zoos is increasing.
Polar bear welfare in captivity has historically been among the worst documented for any large carnivore, with high rates of stereotypy indicating profound frustration of natural ranging and hunting behaviour. The gap between wild home range (tens of thousands of km²) and zoo enclosure size (typically 0.1-1 ha) cannot be bridged, but it can be partially compensated by enclosure complexity: multiple water features, varied substrate, ice features, foraging enrichment, and cognitive challenge. Facilities that have invested in large, complex polar bear exhibits show dramatically lower stereotypy rates. As wild populations face climate-driven declines, the conservation argument for maintaining small zoo populations intensifies — but welfare cannot be sacrificed for conservation optics. Only facilities that can genuinely meet polar bear welfare needs should keep the species.