Polar Bear Zoo Research Masterplan and Video
USGS continues to study how a warming Arctic will affect polar bears. Learn how polar bears in zoos are helping fill knowledge gaps that benefit wild populations. USGS scientists recently collaborated on a Masterplan to prioritize future zoo research. The Masterplan identifies current zoo research and emerging scientific questions for polar bears in the wild that work in zoos can assist with.
As members of the American Zoological Association's Polar Bear Research Council, Alaska Science Center biologists Karyn Rode and Todd Atwood collaborated on developing a research Masterplan to identify how polar bears in zoos can help fill knowledge gaps that benefit wild populations. The Masterplan identifies current zoo research and emerging scientific questions for polar bears in the wild within four main areas: Field Techniques, Health and Welfare, Physiology and Behavioral Ecology, and Reproductive Physiology. The plan will be used to prioritize zoo research activities. The Masterplan is a living document that is intended to be updated every three to five years.
2022 Polar Bear Zoo Research Masterplan:
PDF and USGS Video
Oregon Public Broadcasting: How studying polar bears in zoos can help protect them in the wild
Read About Study on Polar Bear Diets in Zoos
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Polar bears ( Ursus maritimus ) are one of 4 marine mammal species managed by the U.S. Department of Interior. The USGS Alaska Science Center leads long–term research on polar bears to inform local, state, national and international policy makers regarding conservation of the species and its habitat. Our studies, ongoing since 1985, are focused on population dynamics, health and energetics...
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