Polar bears have among the largest natural home ranges of any land mammal and face profound welfare challenges in captivity that have prompted many facilities to phase out polar bear exhibits.
Polar bear welfare in zoos represents one of the clearest cases where captive housing may be fundamentally inadequate regardless of exhibit quality. Their enormous natural ranging requirements, complex foraging ecology, and intelligence create welfare needs that no zoo can fully satisfy. Even well-designed modern exhibits produce some stereotypic behavior. This has led many leading zoos to responsibly phase out polar bear programs rather than perpetuate welfare compromise. Remaining zoo populations should receive the highest quality environments, with serious questioning of whether new polar bear acquisitions are ethically justifiable.