Polar bears are increasingly stressed by warming zoo environments as climate change raises temperatures, requiring proactive thermal management and welfare monitoring.
Polar bear welfare is significantly challenged by climate change as zoo environments warm and cooling infrastructure becomes more critical. Thermal management through pools, ice provision and air conditioning is essential in warm climate facilities. The broader welfare question of whether the conservation value of zoo polar bears justifies keeping them in environments fundamentally incompatible with their thermal biology is being actively debated.