15 Unanswered Lost Questions That Totally Have Explanations
14. Why Are There Polar Bears On The Island?
One of the earliest mysteries of the show that got everyone talking was the fact that there were somehow polar bears on a tropical island. What are they doing there? Did the show ever answer this?
The Explanation: Basically, the Dharma Initiative brought the polar bears to the island to use in their experiments.
It's explained by Dr. Chang that polar bears have keen memory and adaptability instincts and so they were useful in Dharma's experiments with electromagnetism.
In addition, text found on the secret blast door map in the Swan station explains that one of Dharma's experiments was seeing if they could make polar bears adapt to warm climates. They were also used to turn the frozen wheel below the Orchid station, which is what ends up moving the island in Season 4. It's freezing down there, and Dharma needed to figure out what the wheel did before sending in humans, so using the bears makes sense. This becomes clear when Charlotte finds a polar bear in the Tunisian desert, where people are teleported to after turning the wheel.
The polar bears were being kept in cages at the Hydra station, but after that station was abandoned, the animals were set free.