What spectacled bears require for good welfare in captivity and how their unique ecological adaptations shape their care needs.
Spectacled bear welfare in captivity is shaped by their arboreal ecology - animals that in the wild spend hours in tree canopies must have access to appropriate climbing structures that engage their physical capabilities. Flat terrestrial exhibits fail to provide the environmental complexity that spectacled bears require and predictably produce stereotypic behaviour and reduced activity. Dietary variety is equally important: their specialist fruit and bromeliad diet in the wild requires a captive equivalent that goes beyond standard bear diets. Institutions that successfully combine tall climbing structures with dietary variety achieve welfare outcomes reflected in normal activity budgets and absence of stereotypy.