Bears in captivity require large, complex habitats that support their wide-ranging, intelligent, and highly motivated natural behaviors.
Bears are among the species most visibly affected by inadequate captive environments, with stereotypic behaviors serving as clear public evidence of welfare failure. Modern zoo bear habitats represent significant improvements over historical concrete dens, but even the best zoo environments cannot replicate the cognitive and physical demands of wild ranging behavior. Continuous enrichment and behavioral management remain essential to meaningful captive bear welfare.