Modern zoo welfare assessment has moved beyond basic care to include positive welfare indicators. Systematic assessment frameworks help zoos identify and address welfare deficits across their collections.
Good zoo welfare requires moving beyond asking 'are the animals fed and healthy?' to 'are they thriving?' Animals can be physically healthy but psychologically impoverished. Systematic welfare assessment frameworks like the Five Domains model provide structured ways to evaluate nutrition, environment, health, behaviour and mental state — and to prioritise improvements.