Meerkats are highly social, cooperative foragers that present unique welfare management challenges related to group hierarchy, enclosure complexity, and the risk of boredom in captive settings.
Meerkat welfare in zoos depends primarily on maintaining appropriate group structure and providing substrates that allow their fundamental digging behaviour. Groups that are too small lack the social complexity meerkats need; groups that are too large or poorly matched may show excessive aggression from dominant individuals suppressing subordinates. Sandy substrates for digging are not optional enrichment but a core welfare requirement. Meerkats are also cold-sensitive and must have access to heated areas and UV lighting in temperate zoo settings. Their educational value is genuine — they are excellent ambassadors for cooperation and social evolution concepts.