Polar Bear

The polar bear is currently not yet endangered but categorised as Vulnerable by IUCN. Zoos keep polar bears therefore primarily for educational purposes to demonstrate how the bear family adapted to arctic and maritime conditions and thus became able to expand its range into the north polar zone. Of course the polar bear is also an excellent ambassador for its ecosystem and may serve as a flagship species for campaigns or educational programmes raising awareness about Global Warming.

The species is subject to many threats including environmental pollution, oil and gas exploitation, unsustainable or illegal harvest, and global warming. As total numbers are relatively small, and global warming will make the ecological situation for the species rather precarious, it is thus possible that the zoo population may increase in conservation importance in the years to come. With a view of building up a viable reserve population, an International Studbook has therefore been established in 1981 under the WAZA umbrella, and coordinated conservation breeding programmes are operated at the regional level by AZA, EAZA and JAZA.

Traditional enclosures are often quite inadequate, and transforming or replacing old enclosures requires a lot of space and major investments. Many zoos have therefore given up the species, others have decided to invest in what should prove high quality enclosures for polar bears.

For existing enclosures, an outdoor enclosure of 400 m² for two compatible adults or a female with cubs should be considered as minimum space requirement. As required by Swiss legislation, it should be possible to subdivide the enclosure, i.e. to keep the bears separated under still acceptable conditions. The enclosure, or each subdivision, must contain a pool of at least 60 m² surface and 120 m³ volume. There must be an indoor den of 8 m² for each adult bear plus at least one empty den for shifting the animals. Pregnant females and females with young cubs need privacy, and their dens should be designed and isolated accordingly.

There are many variables involved in good management of polar bears which includes group size and composition (this is an essentially solitary species and should not be kept in larger groups), size and complexity of enclosures, variety (enrichment methods), feeding methods, and aspect and outlook of the enclosures. Enrichment and changing the environment is an important part of polar bear management and can reduce stereotypic type behaviour by over 90%.

The EAZA Bear TAG has being doing much work on polar bears and has a working group on polar bears to address the issues of ex situ management and welfare. A research project on ‘Effects of enclosure size, group size and animal density on the behaviour and hormone physiology in polar bears' has been conducted. A good CD on enrichment and management of polar bears is available from Sea World at Queensland Australia (Sea World Gold Coast). Any collection wishing to keep the species should contact the TAG responsible for their region, visit the institutions that have built high quality exhibits, read the results of research carried out to date and apply this knowledge to the design of their enclosure.

Polar bear are predominatly carnivore and used to eat large quantities at once, but at intervals of several days. Their diet should consist mainly of fat meat supplemented by fish and oil, rich in polyunsaturated lipid acids. In addition, greens, such as alfalfa, lettuce, and wheat shoots should be provided. In summer a more vegetarian diet with fruit and vegetables should be offered.