Maned wolves — tall, fox-like canids of South American grasslands — present unique welfare challenges in zoos due to their solitary nature, large territory needs, and specialised diet.
Maned wolf welfare in captivity requires careful attention to their unusual ecology. As solitary grassland animals with large home ranges, maned wolves in undersized enclosures show pacing stereotypies and fail to express normal ranging and foraging behaviour. Dietary management is critical: their natural diet of roughly equal parts fruit and animal protein is difficult to replicate, and meat-heavy zoo diets cause cystinuria — a painful metabolic condition causing kidney stones. The wolf apple and other fruit items should feature prominently in captive diets. Social management requires understanding their natural monogamous pair system — pairs share territories but need space to choose when to interact. Scent marking behaviour requires appropriate substrates. Maned wolves are endangered in parts of their range due to cerrado habitat conversion for agriculture.