Abstract
Polar bears (Ursus maritimus) have always been one of the most popular animals in zoos. Though their charismatic nature has made them a good flagship species for the Arctic habitat, there has been very little examination of the co-relationship or need for collaboration between the in situ and ex situ polar bear worlds. In the 1990s, polar bear populations in North American and European zoos were declining, and many zoos were closing their polar bear exhibits (Meyerson 2006; Linke 2015; Poirier and Lanthier 1995). Though still popular with the public, animal well-being concerns and increasing governmental regulations made it evident that in order to appropriately house and exhibit this large and intelligent species, significant financial resources would need to be invested. Given that the wild population numbers had rebounded as a result of the cooperative regulations enacted by the five Polar Bear Nations (i.e., the Range States: USA, Canada, Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, Norway and Denmark/Greenland) (United Nations Environment Program Register of International Treaties 1973), which addressed issues such as illegal harvest and environmental toxins, the conservation threat for the species was relatively low, and zoos were choosing to use their limited financial resources to build exhibits for species that had a greater conservation need.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
References
Ballou JD, Lacy RD (1995) Identifying genetically important individuals for management of genetic diversity in pedigreed populations. In: Ballou JD, Foose TJ, Gilpin M (eds) Population management for survival and recovery. Columbia University Press, New York, NY, pp 76–111
Ballou JD, Lees C, Faust L, Long S, Lynch C, Bingaman-Lackey L, Foose T (2010) Demographic and genetic management of captive populations for conservation. In: Kleiman DG, Thompson KV, Baer CK (eds) Wild mammals in captivity: principles and techniques for zoo management, 2nd edn. University of Chicago Press, Chicago, IL, pp 219–252
Bowen L, Miles AK, Waters S, Meyerson R, Rode KD, Atwood TC (2015) Gene transcription in polar bears (Ursus maritimus) from disparate populations. Polar Biol 38(9):1413–1427. doi:10.1007/s00300-015-1705-0
Curry E, Roth TL (2016) A rapid, minimally-invasive method of collecting semen from polar bears. Reprod Fertil Dev 28:189. (abstract 118)
Curry E, Wyatt J, Sorel LJ, MacKinnon KM, Roth TL (2014) Ovulation induction and artificial insemination of a captive polar bear (Ursus maritimus) using fresh semen. J Zoo Wildl Med 45:645–649
Dutton CJ, Quinnell M, Lindsay R, DeLay J, Barker IK (2010) Paraparesis in a polar bear (Ursus maritimus) associated with West Nile virus infection. J Zoo Wildl Med 40:568–571
Swim JK, Fraser J (2013) Fostering hope in climate change educators. J Museum Edu. 38:286–297
Linke K (2015) World Zoo and Aquarium Association international polar bear studbook. Zoo Rostock, Rostock, Germany
Meyerson R (2006) Association of Zoo and Aquariums polar bear studbook. Toledo Zoo, Toledo, OH
Meyerson R (2015) Association of Zoo and Aquariums polar bear studbook. Toledo Zoo, Toledo, OH
Owen MA, Swaisgood RR, Slocomb C, Amstrup SC, Durner GM, Simac K (2015) An experimental investigation into chemical communication in the polar bear (Ursus maritimus). J Zool 295:36–43
Poirier P, Lanthier C (1995) North American regional polar bear studbook. Jardin Zoologique de Granby, Quebec, Canada
Polar Bear Animal Care Manual (2009) Association of Zoo and Aquariums. https://www.aza.org/uploadedfiles/animal_care_and_management/husbandry,_health,_and_welfare/husbandry_and_animal_care/polarbearcaremanual.pdf. Accessed 29 Nov 2016
Polar Bears International (2015) The polar bear score card: a standardized fatness index. http://www.polarbearsinternational.org/media/images/fatness-index-scorecard. Accessed 29 Nov 2016
Rode KD, Stricker CA, Erlenbach J, Robbins CT, Cherry SG, Newsome SD, Cutting A, Jensen S, Stenhouse G, Brooks M, Hash A, Nicassio N (2016) Isotopic incorporation and the effects of fasting and dietary lipid content on isotopic discrimination in large, carnivorous mammals. Physiol Biochem Zool 89(3):182–197
Shepherdson D, Lewis K, Carlstead K, Bauman J, Perrin N (2013) Individual and environmental factors associated with stereotypic behavior and fecal glucocorticoid metabolite levels in zoo housed polar bears. Appl Anim Behav Sci 147:268–277
Szánthó J (2014) European association of zoos and aquaria polar bear studbook. Artis Royal Zoo, Amsterdam, Netherlands
Szánthó J, Spencer W (2015) Zooquaria. European Association of Zoos and Aquaria News 89:18–19
The Polar Bear Protection Act (C.C.S.M. c. P94) (2002) Polar Bear Protection Regulation, Regulation 210/2002. Government of Canada
The Polar Bear Protection Act (C.C.S.M. c. P94) (2008) Polar Bear Protection Regulation, amendment (c. P94 de la C.P.L.M.) Regulation 150/2008. Government of Canada
United Nations Environment Program Register of International Treaties (UNEP) (1973) Agreement on Conservation of Polar Bears. The Governments of Canada, Denmark Norway, the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics and the United States of America. Oslo, 1973. http://sedac.ciesin.org/entri/texts/polar.bears.1973.html. Accessed 29 Nov 2016
United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) (2013) Animal Welfare Act and Animal Welfare Regulations
United States Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) (2015) Marine mammals management: oil spill response plan for polar bears in alaska
Ursid Husbandry Manual (2007) European Association of Zoos and Aquaria. https://www.aza.org/animal-care-manuals/. Accessed 29 Nov 2016
Ware JV, Rode KD, Pagano AM, Bromaghin J, Robbins CT, Erlenbach J, Jensen S, Cutting A, Nicassio-Hiskey N, Hash A, Owen M, Jansen HT (2015) Validation of mercury tip-switch and accelerometer activity sensors for identifying resting and active behavior in bears. (International Association for Bear Research and Management). Ursus 26:8–18
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2017 Springer International Publishing AG
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Meyerson, R., Moore, D.E., Long, S.T., Che-Castaldo, J. (2017). Welfare of Captive Polar Bears and Their Value to In Situ Conservation Efforts. In: Butterworth, A. (eds) Marine Mammal Welfare. Animal Welfare, vol 17. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-46994-2_27
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-46994-2_27
Published:
Publisher Name: Springer, Cham
Print ISBN: 978-3-319-46993-5
Online ISBN: 978-3-319-46994-2
eBook Packages: Biomedical and Life SciencesBiomedical and Life Sciences (R0)