Captive Polar bears: Understanding behavioural patterns and the practical implications for their housing and husbandry in zoos

Described as one of the ‘charismatic mega fauna’, the polar bear (Ursus maritimus) plays an important role in public education, particularly with regard to promoting awareness of global warming (Renner & Kelly, 2006). However, the behavioural patterns of polar bears have been difficult to observe in the wild (Greenwald & Dabek, 2003) and although zoos facilitate clos