What's a Polar Bear Doing in the Tropics? - Animal Concerns ...

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FurnitureThe enclosure does not provide sufficient furniture for the bears.Furniture refers to physical structures within an enclosure that serve toenrich the animals environment, such as climbing frames, giant rocks,mature trees, streams and pools.As stated by the Secretary of State Standards of Modern Zoo Practice, UnitedKingdom: “Animals should be provided with space and furniture to allowsuch exercise or foraging behaviour as is needed for their welfare. Animalenclosures should be equipped, in accordance with the needs of the species,to minimise any abnormal behaviour and to aid and encourage normalbehaviour patterns.” 74The polar bear enclosure atSingapore Zoo is barren, apartLegislation regarding enclosure furniturefrom a few artificial boulders,The Polar Bear Protection Act, Manitoba 11and lacks complexity. There are• Exhibit area design: The exhibit areano natural features such as tree must contain structural features suchtrunks that the bears can as resting platforms, waterfalls andexploit or utilise. There are no nesting sites. It must also containstructures for the bears to climb stabilised rocks, tree trunks or similaror elevated resting platforms. materials that are redesignedThe features of the polar bearenclosure appear not to haveperiodically to provide a change in theenvironment for the polar bear.been altered for some time. Theindoor dens contained nofurniture at all when they were inspected in 2005.The provision of a variety of structural enclosure features for polar bears toutilise is widely recognised to be of great importance for their well-being byall the zoo associations and animal welfare organisations. Their guidelinesrecommend a variety of structural features and furniture that should beprovided in outdoor bear enclosures for all species (Appendix V). Although,unlike other bears, wild polar bears do not climb trees, this does not meanthat in a captive situation they would not benefit from the opportunity toclimb and explore structures. Polar bears in the wild encounter a widevariety of natural structures to climb such as ice ridges, rocky cliffs andmountainsides. 49,19For indoor accommodation, some of the guidelines recommend the provisionof platforms raised from the ground to provide a more complex environmentand resting sites. At Singapore Zoo there are apparently no such features inthe indoor polar bear accommodation.What’s a polar bear doing in the tropics?56www.acres.org.sg
In the 2004 report, Acres recommended adding more furniture to theenclosure to make it more complex and interesting for the bears. 18 Rootballs, logs and rocks properly placed over a deep natural substrate weresuggested to allow the bears to dig beneath them to create resting or evendenning places. In addition, it was recommended that the root balls and logsshould have intact bark, so the bears can chew it or rip it up. It was alsosuggested that the bears should be given rotten logs that they can rip apart.No evidence of any of these suggestions being implemented was apparentduring the course of this study.What’s a polar bear doing in the tropics?57www.acres.org.sg
Page 16 and 17: animal is diving. They also eat car
Page 18 and 19: individual’s own choices. This ab
Page 20 and 21: Following his investigations into t
Page 22 and 23: What’s a polar bear doing in the
Page 24 and 25: Accommodation20 All animal accommod
Page 26 and 27: Table 3.1 Categories of behaviours
Page 28 and 29: TABLE 3.5 Lying flat behaviour prof
Page 30 and 31: 3.2.1 Adaptation to Arctic coldPola
Page 32 and 33: 3.2.2 Reasons for panting and lying
Page 34 and 35: 3.2.3 Heat stress experienced in Si
Page 36 and 37: the pool area. However, theeffectiv
Page 38 and 39: 3.2.4 Algal growth in furInuka cove
Page 42 and 43: Table 4.1 Categories of behaviours
Page 44 and 45: TABLE 4.4 Activity pattern of Sheba
Page 46 and 47: TABLE 4.6 Abnormal behaviour profil
Page 48 and 49: 4.2.1 Prevalence of abnormal stereo
Page 50 and 51: to more space, a more complex, quie
Page 52 and 53: Guidelines and LegislationsGuidelin
Page 54 and 55: equirements stated in the Province
Page 56 and 57: problem with these old designs is t
Page 58 and 59: SubstrateThe polar bear enclosure d
Page 60 and 61: In the 2004 report, Acresrecommende
Page 64 and 65: Private areasThe lack of private ar
Page 66 and 67: 5.1.2 Problems in husbandryUse/acce
Page 68 and 69: At a workshop on the Behavioural Ne
Page 70 and 71: disintegrating objects in an enclos
Page 72 and 73: interesting. At no time were the be
Page 74 and 75: 5.2.3 Condition of teeth 10Sheba ha
Page 76 and 77: demonstrating species-appropriate b
Page 80 and 81: Today there is just one polar bear
Page 84 and 85: Providing natural substrates in enc
Page 86 and 87: Stimulating olfactory and rubbing b
Page 90 and 91: Singapore Zoo states that they are
Page 92 and 93: 22. Wood, D. 1995. Bears. Whitecap
Page 94 and 95: 66. Baars, D. and Weegenaar, A. 199
Page 96 and 97: APPENDIX I: GUIDELINES FOR ENCLOSUR
Page 98 and 99: • For polar bears the ratio of wa
Page 100 and 101: APPENDIX IV: GUIDELINES FOR SUBSTRA
Page 102 and 103: APPENDIX VI: GUIDELINES FOR PRIVATE
Page 104 and 105: • Environmental enrichment should

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