Cheetahs are uniquely vulnerable to stress in captivity, with welfare challenges including social housing complexity, reproductive difficulties, and their requirement for large spaces to express natural behaviour.
Cheetah welfare in captivity is characterised by the difficulty of meeting their space and psychological needs. Unlike lions or tigers, cheetahs are not aggressive apex predators but fast-moving, somewhat anxious animals whose stress responses in confined spaces lead to chronic health problems. The remarkable success of dog-cheetah companion pairing, adopted by several major zoos, demonstrates that providing appropriate social companionship even from a different species can substantially reduce cheetah anxiety and associated health problems. Reproductive success in captivity remains poor, partly due to the immunological consequences of their extreme genetic bottleneck and partly due to stress-related hormonal disruption. Large naturalistic enclosures with running opportunities, visual complexity, and appropriate social arrangements are central to good cheetah welfare.