Polar bears face profound welfare challenges in captivity because their Arctic habitat — vast sea ice and marine hunting grounds — cannot be meaningfully replicated in zoo environments.
The welfare evidence for captive polar bears is among the most clear and concerning in zoo medicine. The fundamental incompatibility between polar bear ecology — seasonal ice hunting across enormous ranges — and any feasible captive facility is essentially impossible to overcome. High rates of stereotypic pacing (exceeding 30 percent of observable time in some studies) indicate chronic psychological suffering from captive conditions even in the best-resourced facilities. The Detroit Zoo's decision to phase out polar bear keeping, citing irresolvable welfare concerns, represents a significant precedent. The welfare argument strongly supports redirecting resources from captive polar bear maintenance toward habitat and climate action that protects wild populations.