Polar bears in captivity face fundamental welfare challenges from warm climates, inability to fulfill natural ranging and hunting behaviors, and social structures incompatible with their wild solitary lifestyle.
Polar bears represent one of the clearest cases where captivity cannot meet the fundamental welfare needs of the species. Their evolution for sea ice hunting, extreme cold, and vast ranging behavior is incompatible with temperate zoo conditions. Even well-resourced zoos with large pools and complex enrichment cannot address the fundamental mismatch between polar bear behavior and what captivity can provide. The welfare evidence has led several major zoos to discontinue polar bear keeping, and this trajectory reflects evidence-based recognition of welfare limits.