Polar bear maternal dens, where cubs are born and spend their first months of life, face increasing threats from industrial activity, human disturbance, and reduced sea ice that affect cub survival and welfare.
The vulnerability of cubs in maternal dens creates a specific, acute welfare risk from industrial disturbance. Den abandonment by a stressed mother leaves cubs - which cannot thermoregulate independently - exposed to temperatures that can kill within hours. The welfare harm is both to the cubs through direct thermal stress and to the mother through reproductive loss after months of physiological investment in pregnancy and nursing. Infrared detection technology now allows den identification and protection buffers, but requires regulatory will and funding to implement.