Tool use, problem-solving, and the display of stereotypic behaviors in the brown bear (Ursus arctos)

Recent studies suggest that bears have relatively high cognitive capabilities. However, cognitive processes and problem-solving abilities remain relatively unexplored in bear species. We studied the capacity for 8 captive brown bears (Ursus arctos) to move and use inanimate objects to obtain a food reward. We recorded their behaviors during the problem-solving process using a behavioral ethogram. Three items, a large log, a small log, and a box, were placed in an outdoor enclosure. As the bears progressed through 3 stages of trials, they would need to manipulate the objects and displace them into the proper location and orientation to climb atop to reach a suspended food reward. Completion of the third and final stage was deemed to be evidence of tool use. Six of the 8 bears were capable of tool use. Most bears (>90% of trials) were successful in completing the final stage in <100 seconds. Bears exhibited behaviors such as head flips, pacing, and jumping as the trial length progressed and failure rate increased. Individual bears exhibited different tool preferences and techniques. The bears were capable of applying previously learned skills to novel items. The 2 bears that did not succeed at tool use were both free range before their relocation to the Washington State University Bear Research and Education Center; their prior history may have contributed to their inability to use tools.