Bears in zoos face significant welfare challenges from the mismatch between their natural ranging, foraging, and seasonal behavior patterns and the constraints of captive environments.
Bear welfare in zoos is fundamentally constrained by the impossibility of providing meaningful approximations of natural ranging and seasonal behavioral patterns. Even the best zoo bear exhibit is orders of magnitude smaller than natural home ranges and cannot accommodate the hyperphagia preparation for hibernation that drives bear behavior in autumn. The stereotypic pacing documented in the majority of zoo bears across many studies is a reliable indicator of welfare compromise — a behavior that emerges when environmental constraints prevent the expression of strong behavioral motivations for movement and foraging. Species-appropriate enrichment — scatter feeding, water access, digging opportunities, seasonal feeding variety — reduces stereotypic behavior meaningfully but cannot eliminate the underlying constraint. Honest welfare assessment acknowledges this limitation while pursuing the best achievable welfare within unavoidable constraints.