A Captive Polar Bear

Oct. 28, 2003 — A groundbreaking study published earlier this month has found that wild animals such as polar bears, lions and tigers are not suited to a life in captivity — and welfare organizations said the study is further proof that zoos must "get their act together."

Oxford University scientists Ros Clubb and Georgia Mason looked at 35 species of carnivore and found that carnivores with large home ranges have worse reactions to being caged than those that roam less widely in the wild.

Animals such as cheetahs, polar bears and other carnivores that naturally cover large distances, suffer most in zoos, the researchers found.

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The study showed that depriving these animals of their large home ranges leads to serious welfare problems such as repetitive pacing and infant deaths.

Scientists have suggested before that range size is important, but the new work is the first to show this with comprehensive data.

The analysis showed that the offspring of animals with big territories, such as polar bears, are more likely to die within 30 days in captivity than those with smaller territories, such as the American mink.

The home range of polar bears, for example, is around one million times bigger than the size of a typical enclosure, and the species is notorious for developing behavioral problems in captivity.

The researchers concluded that wide-ranging carnivores should not be kept in captivity.

"If we can't keep them well, then don't keep them at all," said Ros Clubb at Oxford University, who compiled the research.

Welfare organizations are pointing out that the new research backs up what they have been saying about zoos for a long time.

"First there was elephants, with shockingly poor welfare in zoos, and here we have another in-depth scientific study which proves that zoos have to take a long, hard look at themselves," said Rob Atkinson, Head of Wildlife at Britain's Royal Society for the Protection of Animals (RSPCA.)

"Most members of the public find something disturbing in seeing a large magnificent animal, such as a polar bear or lion, confined in a small enclosure," Atkinson said. "They would be even more upset to know that such an animal may be incredibly stressed or psychologically damaged by such treatment, and that cubs die prematurely as a result of it."

"Based on this research the RSPCA wants the keeping of naturally wide-ranging carnivores to be either fundamentally improved or phased out," he said.

British science journal Nature published the study, which took three years to complete and was compiled data from around 1,200 papers and articles published between 1959 and 1999.

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