Polar bears face an existential welfare crisis as Arctic sea ice melts, reducing the hunting platform they require to catch seals and causing starvation, reduced cub survival, and increasing human conflict.
Polar bear welfare is uniquely tied to climate: every fraction of a degree of warming extends the ice-free season and increases starvation stress. Individual bears monitored over years show progressive deterioration in body condition that translates directly to reduced welfare. Nursing mothers with inadequate fat reserves produce cubs with reduced survival probability. Conflict with humans when bears approach settlements leads to deterrence actions and sometimes lethal control. The welfare solution is climate action - no amount of individual management can substitute for maintaining the sea ice habitat these animals require.