Brown bears are wide-ranging omnivores with highly variable behavior across seasons. Providing welfare-positive environments for these intelligent, active animals is a significant challenge in zoo settings.
Brown bear welfare in captivity requires large, complex enclosures with varied terrain, water features, climbing structures, and digging opportunities. Their intelligence means they habituate quickly to unchanging enrichment — novel items, varied food presentation schedules, and seasonal changes that mimic natural foraging cycles maintain behavioral diversity. Managing seasonal biology is important — bears naturally eat voraciously in autumn before winter and may show different welfare needs across seasons. Bears in inadequate facilities (concrete pits, small cages) are among the most visibly suffering zoo animals, making bear welfare advocacy an entry point for broader zoo reform discussions.