What scientific evidence shows about effective enrichment for zoo bears and how the best facilities apply this knowledge.
Bear enrichment science has advanced considerably, providing clear guidance on what works and why. The most effective interventions engage the specific motivational systems that drive natural bear behaviour: the foraging drive (scatter feeding, puzzle feeders), the olfactory exploratory drive (novel scents, carcass feeding), and the thermoregulatory-locomotor drive (water features, varied substrates, climbing structures). Facilities that implement comprehensive enrichment programmes see dramatic reductions in stereotypic pacing, better physical condition, and measurable improvements in the behavioural repertoire — more time in natural activities, less time in repetitive abnormal ones. These outcomes are achievable and represent the expected standard for accredited bear facilities.