Sloth bears are highly active, insect-eating bears with specialized behaviours that are difficult to accommodate in captive settings. Their welfare requires targeted enrichment programs.
Sloth bears are among the more challenging bear species to provide for in captivity due to their highly specialized foraging behaviour and need for extensive movement. Enclosures that cannot replicate termite mound excavation deprive them of their most fundamental natural behaviour. The result is often the development of stereotypies such as head-weaving and repetitive pacing. Scent marking and exploration are also important behaviours that require complex, changeable environments. For bears rescued from the dancing bear trade, additional trauma rehabilitation is needed. High-quality captive care requires scatter feeding, digging opportunities, and rotating novel food-based enrichment that mimics insect foraging.