Mountain lions (pumas) in zoos require very large territories, varied terrain, and complex enrichment to meet their welfare needs. Many captive facilities struggle to provide adequate conditions for this wide-ranging solitary predator.
Mountain lions are among the large felids most often kept in inadequate captive conditions. Their vast natural territory requirements mean that even good zoo enclosures represent a profound spatial restriction. When stereotypic pacing is present — as it commonly is in poorly designed facilities — this indicates chronic welfare failure. The key welfare interventions are enclosure size and complexity, unpredictable enrichment that stimulates hunting motivation, and appropriate social isolation (mountain lions are solitary and forced social housing causes stress). Roadside zoos and privately owned mountain lions in inadequate conditions represent the worst welfare cases, with some animals living in cages of only a few square metres.