Bears in captivity - from performing bears to bile farms to roadside zoos - face severe welfare challenges, and sanctuaries provide better but imperfect alternatives.
Bear welfare in captivity spans a spectrum from extremely poor (bile farms) to significantly improved (high-quality sanctuaries). Bile farm bears live in permanently immobilized confinement with chronic catheter wound pain - welfare conditions as severe as any documented in captive animals. Sanctuaries rescue bears into environments that, while still captive, allow natural behaviors including foraging, wallowing, and social interaction. Even high-quality sanctuaries cannot fully meet the needs of wild-adapted bears with large ranging requirements, but they represent a dramatic welfare improvement over the conditions most rescued bears come from. Ending the demand driving bile farming and performance bear use is the welfare priority.