Bears are highly intelligent omnivores that spend much of their wild lives foraging across large territories — captive environments must reflect this complexity to achieve acceptable welfare.
Bear welfare in zoos is critically dependent on providing the foraging complexity that occupies wild bears for the majority of their active time. Static enrichment rapidly habituates — welfare-positive bear management requires daily novel foraging challenges, natural substrate manipulation opportunities, and seasonal variation in enrichment type and distribution. Exhibit design should enable bears to make choices, use problem-solving skills, and experience the cognitive satisfaction of successful foraging. Breeding programs for threatened species require welfare-optimal conditions to achieve reproductive success.