Brown bears in Europe and North America face conflict with agricultural communities. Rewilding programs and coexistence strategies are expanding bear populations while managing human-wildlife tension.
Brown bear welfare encompasses both wild population management and the welfare of individual bears in conflict scenarios. Bears captured for translocation or health assessment experience significant handling stress — chemical immobilization carries risks including respiratory depression and hyperthermia that require expert management. Conflict bears killed in retaliation suffer the ultimate welfare harm while contributing to population decline in areas where bears are still recovering. Effective coexistence reduces both human economic harm and bear mortality, creating conditions where both can thrive. Den disturbance during hibernation causes bears — particularly denning females with cubs — significant stress and energy expenditure that compromises reproductive success. Tourism infrastructure that causes den disturbance for wildlife observation opportunities represents an ethically problematic welfare trade-off.