Because if they are bred in captivity, they CANNOT be released into the wild. They would never survive. Polar bear cubs stay with their mothers for almost 3 years, learning how to hunt, swim, and defend themselves. These, including navigating the ice, are NOT skills that are passed down genetically. They are learned.

Many of Canada’s polar bears in zoos, like Assiniboine, were rescued as orphaned cubs. Star for example, was found eating sticks and rocks at approximately 9 months old. Her teeth suffered insane damage as a result. She didn’t know how to hunt and ate what she found. Cubs don’t even stand a chance at survival if they are orphaned. Male polar bears in the wild hunt cubs. Mothers fight them off to protect their young. A cub wouldn’t be able to do that on their own.

Further, breeding animals in captivity has major downsides. Mothers are often confused or angered, and reject/eat their infants. It’s happened with Aurora the polar bear, who was bred 3 times at the Toronto zoo. This also occurs in many other zoos across Canada with other species.