It's getting harder for polar bears toact naturally, even in nature

A polar bear swims underwater in an observation tunnel of an exhibit at the Pittsburgh Zoo & PPGAquarium in 2006. Photo: Robin Rombach/Pittsburgh Post-Gazette/TNS

PITTSBURGH Koda, the 10-year-old male polar bear at the Pittsburgh Zoo,emerges from a cubbyhole atop the exhibit he shares with 14-year-old Kobe. Hesteps out to a nearby ledge, swinging his head from side to side. He then backsinto the cubbyhole, head still weaving, and returns a moment later. He keepsdoing the same thing, over and over.

Scenes like this play out nationwide. An estimated 85 percent of polar bears inNorth American zoos engage in repetitive actions that are apparentlypurposeless. Experts call this stereotypic behavior" and some say that it isthe result of being conned.Laurel Braitman, a critic of zoos and the author of Animal Madness, agrees.Braitman calls repetitive behaviors like these a signpost of frustration.

But even in nature, its increasingly harder for bears to act naturally. In the Arctic,polar bears typically roam hundreds or even thousands of miles. But because ofglobal climate change and a warmer Earth, the ice they tread is shrinking.

By Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, adapted by Newsela staff on 03.05.15 Word Count 824

From Massive Environments ...

According to Donald Moore, a scientist at the Association of Zoos andAquariums, polar bears are losing their natural environment. Moore believeszoos can serve them well. He says that animals in zoos play an important role asrepresentatives for their relatives in the wild, by making people care about them.

But some animal rights leaders aren't convinced. I think theres very littlequestion about whether bears suffer in (zoos), said Rob Laidlaw, executivedirector of Zoocheck Canada. There is a growing body of literature that saysanimals can be upset just by people looking at them.

Laidlaw says polar bears have evolved to live in massive environments that zoossimply cannot replicate. He says polar bears are used to traveling up to 60miles in a day. Even the most extensive zoo exhibits measure less than an acre.

Other experts share Laidlaw's concerns. In 2003, Oxford University researchersargued that the keeping of naturally wide-ranging carnivores should be eitherfundamentally improved or phased out.

... To Life In A Zoo

Pittsburghs zoo didnt have polar bears back then. Because of such worries, anofcial told the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette at the time, we wont have them unlesswe have a suitable exhibit.

Three years later, the zoo opened its $12.5 million Waters Edge exhibit,featuring elements that Laidlaw stressed as important to the bears' well-being.For example, the layout includes a separate back area. This design allows thebears to move in and out of public view as they wish.

Pittsburghs bears are also given enrichment activities throughout the day.These include crushing plastic barrels and nding ways to get icy mixtures ofsh and lard out of other containers.Joseph Gaspard, the zoos director of science and conservation, acknowledgesthat Koda and Kobe both exhibit repetitive behavior at times. But its hard to getat the heart of what it means, he says. Maybe it's "just kind of a release ofenergy" like when humans pace, he said.

If we could see the complete picture with these guys, he added, we wouldntbe doing animal science.

Things could be worse for the polar bears. And in the wild, they probably willbe.

No Fence For Climate Change

Steven C. Amstrup is the chief scientist for environmental group Polar BearsInternational. Amstrup estimates that polar bear populations could vanish fromthe wild by 2100. Others predict that some bears will survive, but only in remoteareas.

As of right now, an estimated 20,000 polar bears live in the Arctic. By contrast,according to the environmental group World Wildlife Fund, there are fewer than4,000 tigers in the wild. But while the threat to polar bears is less immediate, itmay be harder to address.

The traditional model of conservation is you identify a species under threatbecause of overhunting or deforestation and then you build a fence around(them) and go home, Amstrup explained. But polar bears face a much differentkind of threat. You cant build a fence to protect (bears) from climate change,he said.

Polar bears live much of the year on the Arctic ice, where they hunt seals andbreed. But as global temperatures warm, it takes longer for the ice to form. Thisleaves the bears trapped on land, where they survive on their reserves of fatand produce sicklier offspring.

As a result, some conservationists support using zoo exhibits to keep polarbears in the public eye. They call the bears charismatic megafauna: biganimals people are motivated to help because they can relate to them. Amstrupargues that "the more people who have opportunity to see polar bears andunderstand their (situation), the more likely we are to alter our warming path intime to save them.

Zoos might help raise awareness, but the effects of connement are stillcontroversial. Many insist that zoos will never provide a suitable home for thebears that have been chosen to represent their species.

Quiz

1 Select the paragraph from the section "From Massive Environments ..." that explainswhy zoos are not good environments specically for polar bears.

2 Each answer option includes two sentences from the article. In which answer optiondoes each sentence include a main idea from the article?

(A) An estimated 85 percent of polar bears in North American zoosengage in repetitive actions that are apparently purposeless. In theArctic, polar bears typically roam hundreds or even thousands ofmiles.

(B) Laurel Braitman, a critic of zoos and the author of AnimalMadness, agrees. But even in nature, its increasingly harder forbears to act naturally.

(C) Braitman calls repetitive behaviors like these a signpost offrustration. But because of global climate change and a warmerEarth, the ice they tread is shrinking.

(D) Koda, the 10-year-old male polar bear at the Pittsburgh Zoo,emerges from a cubbyhole atop the exhibit he shares with 14-year-old Kobe. He steps out to a nearby ledge, swinging his head fromside to side.

3 Which sentence from the section "No Fence For Climate Change" would make theBEST summary of the article as a whole?

(A) They call the bears charismatic megafauna: big animals peopleare motivated to help because they can relate to them.

(B) Amstrup argues that "the more people who have opportunity to seepolar bears and understand their (situation), the more likely we areto alter our warming path in time to save them.

(C) Zoos might help raise awareness, but the effects of connementare still controversial.

(D) Many insist that zoos will never provide a suitable home for thebears that have been chosen to represent their species.

4 Which section of the article describes two different ways zoos can improve theirpolar bear habitats?

(A) the introduction [paragraphs 1-4]

(B) "No Fence For Climate Change"

(C) "... To Life In A Zoo"

(D) "From Massive Environments ..."

Answer Key

1 Select the paragraph from the section "From Massive Environments ..." that explainswhy zoos are not good environments specically for polar bears.Paragraph 6: Laidlaw says polar bears have evolved to live in massive environmentsthat zoos simply cannot replicate. He says polar bears are used totraveling up to 60 miles in a day. Even the most extensive zoo exhibitsmeasure less than an acre.

2 Each answer option includes two sentences from the article. In which answer optiondoes each sentence include a main idea from the article?

(A) An estimated 85 percent of polar bears in North American zoosengage in repetitive actions that are apparently purposeless. In theArctic, polar bears typically roam hundreds or even thousands ofmiles.

(B) Laurel Braitman, a critic of zoos and the author of AnimalMadness, agrees. But even in nature, its increasingly harder forbears to act naturally.

(C) Braitman calls repetitive behaviors like these a signpost offrustration. But because of global climate change and awarmer Earth, the ice they tread is shrinking.

(D) Koda, the 10-year-old male polar bear at the Pittsburgh Zoo,emerges from a cubbyhole atop the exhibit he shares with 14-year-old Kobe. He steps out to a nearby ledge, swinging his head fromside to side.

3 Which sentence from the section "No Fence For Climate Change" would make theBEST summary of the article as a whole?

(A) They call the bears charismatic megafauna: big animals peopleare motivated to help because they can relate to them.

(B) Amstrup argues that "the more people who have opportunity to seepolar bears and understand their (situation), the more likely we areto alter our warming path in time to save them.

(C) Zoos might help raise awareness, but the effects ofconfinement are still controversial.

(D) Many insist that zoos will never provide a suitable home for thebears that have been chosen to represent their species.

4 Which section of the article describes two different ways zoos can improve theirpolar bear habitats?

(A) the introduction [paragraphs 1-4]

(B) "No Fence For Climate Change"

(C) "... To Life In A Zoo"

(D) "From Massive Environments ..."

It's getting harder for polar bears to act naturally, even in natureFrom Massive Environments ...... To Life In A ZooNo Fence For Climate ChangeQuizAnswer Key