Should bears be kept in zoos?

Should bears be kept in zoos

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For bears, being out of sight of other bears seems more important than space.

I saw bears pacing in very naturalistic exhibits, and calm in smaller single exhibits. It is often very visible that bears try to keep as far away as possible from each other. Often when male moves, female goes to the opposite part of the exhibit and starts pacing at the edge.
 
@foz:
I very much appreciated your classification scheme and your picture examples!
 
By the way, the probably smallest and most depressing bear grotto probably wxists in my own "home zoo":

http://www.zoochat.com/419/brown-bear-exhibit-picture-5-5-a-68075/

And unlike what I wrote in the commentary to this picture, judging from my latest visit to the zoo a male bear still seems to be held in it. This enclosure is a great shame to Copenhagen Zoo and I am so glad that things will change within the next few years, as has been reported by forumster Toddy.
 
The enclosure Dan links to looks like a paradise compared to the one at the Ellen Trout Zoo here in Texas. Proof?

http://www.zoochat.com/1112/black-bear-pit-grotto-92557/

That's it. That's all the bear has, and there are signs saying that it was rescued from inhumane conditions.:mad: I'm sure this bear would love to have some of the climbing structures (i.e. some rocks) that your zoo has Dan. By no means am I saying that what you have is a good example of a bear enclosure either.
 
Even though I have been extremely critical of the innumerable amount of truly awful bear grottoes and pits that exist in zoos worldwide, on a happier note many of the very best, world-class exhibits in North America actually feature bears!

1- "Arctic Ring of Life" - Detroit Zoo (polar bears)
2- "Northern Trail" - Woodland Park Zoo (grizzlies)
3- "Russia's Grizzly Coast" - Minnesota Zoo (grizzlies)
4- "Asia Trail" - National Zoo (giant pandas + sloth bears)
5- "Oklahoma Trails" - Oklahoma City Zoo (grizzlies and black bears)
 
And those exhibits are all some of the best in America. The new Glacier Run at Columbus is also very promising as one can't really go wrong with acre bear habitats! Great Bear Wilderness should also be a great new set of bear exhibits. And Memphis' Teton Trek. Has anyone seen the new Rocky Mountain Wild exhibit at the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo as that is a relatively new bear exhibit, but I have really heard anything about it?
 
Yes, snowleopard, but then we have all those Japanese horrorshows/"polar bear exhibits" that you showed us...

Oh Boy - sometimes I become so pessimistic and sad...
 
@Dan: Japan and most of Asia is nothing short of diabolical to various bear species, and you are right when you mention the over one hundred photos of the worst polar bear enclosures known to humankind that are found in approximately 30 Japanese zoos. I shudder just thinking about them. Gradually bears are being rewarded with amazingly diverse habitats in the best zoos, but it is a slow process to see superb exhibits replace outdated pits and grottoes.
 
A 205-page document that has countless reports of polar bears in Japan, where every single bear exhibits some form of stereotypical behaviour. If the sheer length of the report scares off readers, the over 100 photos are shocking enough. All of the enclosures are brutal, and there are a couple that aren't much bigger than the bears!

http://zoocheck.com/calgary/Japan Polar Bear report 2007.pdf
 
I don't see any reason why bears shouldn't be kept in zoos, as long as their exhibits provide them space, water to swim in, etc. There are many terrible bear exhibits, but also some very good ones.
 
It seems a bit curious to cite E.Asian bear exhibits as the standard to the question. If one wishes to answer this question correctly one should look at the entire captive spaces and locations for bear species.

On face value, I think all species deserve sufficient exhibit space in zoos both as edutainment and as conservation out-reach (whether direct in situ benefit or expertise and public awareness). There is a definite case for spectacled, sloth, sun bear vis a vis the level of endangerment, polar bear for climate change, Asiatic blacks and Chinese browns for bear bile trade and others as educational (allthough some restricted European browns might benefit from conservation breeding, e.g. Pyrenean and Abruzzan).

I seem to remember that Dr. Lydia Kolter did a survey a couple of years back on European bear spaces in EAZA circles. It indicated there is still a lot of room for improvements with regard to bear exhibits and species. Also, if I remember correctly quite a few generics then ...
 
If the living quarters meet all current specifications for a bear's natural habitat, I think they can be kept in zoos. However, meeting these specifications and updating as required seems to be a problem. What needs to be done is better zoo habitats for all animals.
 
Bears are just fine in zoos. They are suitable for a wide variety of climates and can be exhibited year round. Polar, brown/grizzly, black, and Asiatic black bears are great for zoos in cold areas as they can be out in the winter.
 
In discussions of this type, focus always seems inevitably to fall on the Polar Bear, presumably because of its wild lifestyle where it roams huge distances over the ice in contrast to the confines of captivity. But the other larger bears are similarly designed for roaming. For example, Kodiak and Russian Brown Bears living near the coast will regularly travel long distances at a loping run, from their den sites in the hinterland over several kilometres to seasonal feeding grounds e.g. fishing rivers or the sea foreshore. In so doing they make big 'racetracks' in the vegetation which can be seen from the air.

Yet in Zoos they are somehow found more acceptable to confine in smaller areas than the Polar Bear and feature less in these arguments.
 
My own thought on bears in zoos is this.

Bears may be seen as difficult as are elephants as they are perceived to need huge areas to move around in, of course to feed in the wild they need huge ranges to satisfy there daily needs, especially polar bears, who live in territories rather sparsely populated with prey animals.

To be a bit controversial, The same could - at a push -be said about wild wildebeest etc. Their food is more widely and regularly available of course, but they make huge migrations following the rains to feed on fresh grass.

Taken a step further very few large animals can live in small areas, for the need to forage alone. How many wild creatures go out for a walk for the hell of it? or to look around for the sheer pleasure of it? they go either to feed or patrol there territories and search for mates. Most if not all animals once fed just go to sleep,or sit down and start chewing the cud, animals are active in cycles not full time.

My clients all keep chickens, they have large fenced pens to forage in, but I still dump piles of leaves, grass cuttings etc and go in to dig over the ground so they can find worms. Other wise they just feed from a hopper, then sit around or half heartedly scrathch the ground. The leaf piles etc give them the all important stimulation and encourages natural behavior.
But their owners think that due to the large size of the runns they are happy. As I'm sure we on zoo chat know, space isn't everything.

Given enrichment and stimulation bears should be well catered for in zoos.
 
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