Grizzly bears face welfare challenges from habitat loss, food insecurity linked to climate change, and lethal conflict with humans near communities and livestock areas.
Grizzly bear welfare is threatened by food insecurity driven by climate change (whitebark pine loss, earlier salmon runs), human-wildlife conflict resulting in lethal removal, and vehicle strikes on roads fragmenting habitat. Non-lethal coexistence tools — electric fencing for livestock, bear-resistant food storage, aversive conditioning — significantly reduce both bear mortality and livestock losses. When bears must be removed, live capture and translocation is more welfare-appropriate than lethal control.