Polar bear's nomadic lifestyle makes zoo life a bore

Embargoed until: Publicly released: 2023-09-06 09:01

International

Image by Marion Grimm from Pixabay

Why are wide-ranging species like polar bears so hard to keep in zoos? According to international research, it may be due to their semi-nomadic lifestyles. In the wild, animals like polar bears tend to relocate to new places multiple times a year, which means they may struggle with the lack of choice and exposure to new environments in captivity. In contrast, the researchers say, naturally 'homebody' species like red foxes (which in captivity, can be kept even in intensive fur farm conditions) spend all of their time on a small, intimately known territory that they may criss-cross multiple times a day - and this may be the secret to their ability to thrive in zoos. According to the team, understanding why some animals are prone to stress in captivity is essential to help improve captive breeding and animal welfare.

Media release

From: The Royal Society

The welfare problems of wide-ranging Carnivora reflect naturally itinerant lifestyles

Royal Society Open Science

Why are wide-ranging species like polar bears so hard to keep well in zoos? Our new analyses show that their naturally itinerant, semi-nomadic lifestyles are the reason: in the wild, animals like these choose to completely relocate to pasture new multiple times a year: something that involves decision-making ("should I stay or should I go?"), choice, control and exposure to novelty. In contrast, naturally 'homebody' species like red foxes (which in captivity, can be kept even in intensive fur farm conditions) spend all of their time on a small, intimately known territory that they may criss-cross multiple times a day - and this is the secret to their ability to thrive in zoos.

Attachments

Note: Not all attachments are visible to the general public. Research URLs will go live after the embargo ends.

Research The Royal Society, Web page URL will go live after the embargo lifts

Journal/
conference: Royal Society Open Science

Research:Paper

Organisation/s: University of Guelph, Canada

Funder: The authors received no funding for this study.

Media Contact/s

Contact details are only visible to registered journalists.