Zoo can't provide Mercedes' bear necessities

Captive polar bears spend much of the day pacing, walking in tight circles, swaying or rolling their heads and showing other signs of psychological distress.

Some bear exhibits show not only a path worn by the constant pacing, but the actual paw impressions in the soil where they step in the same spot over and over again. These bears aren't just bored; they are in a profound state of despondency. Keeping them in captivity for our fleeting amusement and distraction is morally reprehensible.

Edinburgh Zoo would do well to heed a study conducted by British zoologists at the University of Oxford who concluded that wide-roaming animals, including bears, suffer physical and mental anguish in captivity and should be phased out of zoos altogether. Zoos have long recognised that bears do not cope well with captivity. Efforts to enrich their enclosures or, in some cases, administer mood-altering drugs, have largely failed. Bears do not need Prozac, fake logs, artificial rocks or hidden treats. They need what no zoo can possibly provide - tundra, hills, streams, and, most importantly, freedom.

Jennifer O'Connor, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, Norfolk, VA 23510