Bears in zoo settings have extensive behavioral repertoires that require large, complex environments and diverse enrichment to express, with significant welfare consequences when these needs go unmet.
Bear welfare in zoos is closely tied to enclosure design and behavioral management. Bears evolved as wide-ranging omnivores with complex behavioral repertoires — foraging, swimming, climbing, exploring, and denning — that small, featureless enclosures cannot accommodate. The characteristic pacing seen in bears at poorly designed facilities is a reliable indicator of severe welfare compromise. Modern bear facilities that incorporate naturalistic terrain, water features, vegetation, foraging enrichment, and problem-solving challenges produce dramatically better behavioral welfare outcomes. The progress made in bear enclosure design over the past 30 years represents one of zoo welfare's success stories.