Saint Louis Zoo responds to viral photo of polar bear on ice, calls concerns ‘misguided’

The Saint Louis Zoo addressed these concerns directly, assuring the public that the viral photo depicts normal behaviour for a polar bear. “The photo shows a content, healthy bear relaxing on a bed of ice in his favorite napping pose. Bears, just like a lot of animals and pets, sleep in all sorts of positions (yes, sometimes even ones that seem odd). This is normal bear behavior seen both in zoos and in the wild,” the zoo said.

🔥🚨DEVELOPING: People are concerned about the living conditions in the Saint Louis zoo after this photo of a polar bear lying on ice began going viral. A visitor of the zoo took this photo yesterday and began to raise concerns. pic.twitter.com/VjnJ5eH5ni

— Dom Lucre | Breaker of Narratives (@dom_lucre) April 1, 2024

Zoo officials emphasized, “Polar bear Kali has the choice to stay inside in air conditioning or go into his outside habitat. Most of the time, he chooses to go outside. His habitat is full of fun enrichment and has multiple ice machines, cooling fans, shade, and saltwater pools kept cool year-round.”

The zoo’s actions were praised, and criticised, by netizens. One user wrote, “I pass out like that on ice after a few too many Coors. Totally understandable that people were concerned the bear was hungover. Saint Louis Zoo staff are doing a fine job. Now if you’ll excuse me, I need to go find some ice!” A second user expressed, “Why wouldn’t they put more ice? I can’t stand zoos. It’s a prison for them. This is so sad.”

And a third mentioned, “The STL Zoo is incredible and run by people who love animals. I see a polar bear who looks quite comfortable, to be honest. I highly doubt there are any issues here.”