Great grey owls are the world's largest owls by length, native to boreal forests across the Northern Hemisphere. Their highly specialised hunting behaviour and environmental requirements make captive welfare particularly challenging.
Great grey owls in captivity face welfare challenges from their strong preference for silence, vast space requirements, and specialised hunting motivation that cannot be fully met in zoo settings. High visitor noise levels cause chronic stress in this naturally quiet forest species. Enclosures that are too small prevent the flight exercise essential for musculoskeletal health. Without hunting enrichment — live prey or simulated hunting opportunities — the owl cannot express its most complex natural behaviours. Feather abrasion against enclosure netting or walls is a common welfare indicator of inadequate space or design. Great grey owls kept for educational falconry or demonstration purposes face particular welfare risks from inappropriate handling, bright light exposure, and unrelenting human proximity — all highly stressful for this shy species.