Why This Video of Baby Polar Bear Trying to Get Up is Anything but Innocent

Baby animals do the darndest things, don’t they? From goofy elephant calves learning to use their trunks to kittens figuring how to make mischief, there is nothing like watching a little fur-baby discover the world. The video above features a polar bear cub allegedly trying to flip himself over. On the first view, this might seem like a funny video of an unwitting youngster who hasn’t quite gotten a hold on gravity – but if you zoom out for a second, the story is hardly so innocent or simple.

This little bear is from Adventure World, a Japanese zoo and amusement park, and while the reason he is wriggling around with such difficulty is unknown, we do know that this cub should not be in this glass enclosure. This species is highly endangered thanks to human driven climate change and although some assert that keeping polar bears in zoos is the best way to ensure the survival of the species, the sort of life these animals experience in captivity proves just the opposite.

In the wild, this cub would be snuggled up with its protective mother, learning all the essential skills needed for survival. This bear would have miles and miles of ice to roam across and get to enjoy the thrill of hunting and interacting in family and social groups. Instead, this little one is left with a sterile looking glass box surrounded by some sort of padding.  The extreme boredom and frustration with this tiny ice box will likely lead them to exhibit stereotypic behaviors such as pacing or head bobbing.  According to Polar Bears International, “Some 85 percent of North American polar bears [in zoos] do it, devoting nearly a quarter of their “active day” (i.e. the time they spend alert and moving) to this behavior.” The aimless rocking back and forth may very well be the beginnings of this behavior.

So, while this video might seem like a funny baby bear “fail,” it is really a massively tragic human failure. We cannot justify the sad semblance of a life that we’ve given this polar bear cub – and countless others because of our own refusal to act for the species. By refusing to pay to see animals in captive environments like this one, we can all send the message that no animal deserves to suffer for the sake of our entertainment.

To learn more about how you can act to protect the polar bear population and their home, join One Green Planet’s #EatForThePlanet movement.