Polar bears face extreme welfare challenges in zoo settings, requiring large spaces, cold environments, and complex enrichment to prevent stereotypic behaviour.
Polar bears present perhaps the most challenging welfare case in zoo keeping. Their Arctic adaptations — enormous size, wide-ranging behaviour, and dependence on sea ice for hunting — are fundamentally incompatible with zoo enclosures in temperate climates. Even well-resourced facilities struggle to provide adequate thermal conditions, space for natural locomotive behaviour, and the cognitive stimulation of wild polar bear life. The high rates of stereotypic behaviour documented in polar bear populations globally are a welfare indicator that cannot be dismissed. Some facilities have improved welfare through large, complex enclosures with water features, feeding enrichment, and temperature management, but these represent the minimum acceptable approach rather than adequate provision. The conservation justification for polar bear captivity, while present, must be weighed honestly against welfare costs.