Providing nutritionally appropriate diets to the enormous variety of species held in modern zoos is a complex welfare challenge, and dietary inadequacy remains a significant cause of health problems and reduced longevity in captive animals.
Nutritional welfare in captive animals is a complex and evolving field. Many of the health problems common in zoo animals — metabolic bone disease, obesity, reproductive failure — have nutritional components that reflect the difficulty of replicating wild diets in captivity. Beyond physical health, the way food is delivered profoundly affects psychological welfare: animals fed concentrated pellets in dishes are denied the foraging behaviour that occupies much of their wild day. Good zoo nutrition programs address both nutritional completeness and the welfare benefits of food-seeking behaviour through enriched feeding practices.