Meerkats are highly social animals with complex group dynamics. Their welfare in captivity depends critically on appropriate social housing, space, and the opportunity to express natural sentinel and foraging behaviours.
Meerkats are among the most publicly popular zoo animals, often displayed in open, accessible exhibits that prioritise visitor experience over animal welfare. Small enclosures without elevated sentinel posts, deep diggable substrate, or varied foraging opportunities fail to meet fundamental behavioural needs. Group dynamics must be actively managed: dominant females in large groups can suppress reproduction in subordinates and inflict serious injuries. Regular social group monitoring is essential to identify and address bullying. Enrichment should include buried food items, live invertebrates to hunt, and varied substrate textures. Temperature management including heat lamps and shaded retreats is critical given the species thermoregulatory dependence. Open, visitor-accessible exhibits should be evaluated carefully to ensure they do not cause chronic stress from close human proximity.