Polar Bear Nutrition Guidelines

Citation

Lintzenich, B., Ward, A., Edwards, M., Griffin, M. & Robbins, C. 2006. Polar Bear
Nutrition Guidelines. Polar Bears International.

Abstract

Polar bears, the most carnivorous of the Ursidae family, prey primarily on ringed seals (Best, 1985; Derocher, et. al, 2000; Stirling and Archibald, 1977).  When brought into captivity, maintaining their nutritional and mental health can be challenging.  Due to the lack of indepth species-specific research, captive polar bear diets must be based on a combination of known requirements of related domestic animals, the successful captive polar bear diets, and nutrients consumed by healthy captive polar bears to formulate dietary recommendations.  A balanced diet for captive bears could include a combination of nutritionally complete items (dry, raw, and/or gel), saltwater fish, bones, whole prey, produce, and enrichment food items.  All bears should be offered a diet that would maintain appropriate body condition across all seasons.

Lintzenich et al. – 2006 – Polar Bear Nutrition Guidelines.pdf     1 MB