Southern cassowaries are large, solitary and territorial birds that present unique welfare and safety challenges in captivity, requiring carefully designed enclosures and specialized management protocols.
Cassowaries are among the most challenging birds to maintain in captivity with adequate welfare outcomes. Their natural solitary and territorial behavior means conspecific housing causes severe aggression and stress. Yet isolation itself can lead to behavioral abnormalities in these cognitively complex birds. Enclosure design must allow for the long-distance walking these birds undertake daily, with varied substrate including water features, dense vegetation and foraging opportunities. Their frugivorous diet requires diverse fruit provision and foraging enrichment. Keeper safety protocols are essential, as cassowaries are genuinely dangerous and stress from aversive handling can compound welfare problems significantly.