Meerkats are highly social, intensely hierarchical small carnivores whose welfare in zoo settings depends on stable group dynamics, appropriate burrowing opportunities, and protection from thermal extremes.
Meerkat welfare is strongly influenced by their social complexity — these are animals with rich hierarchical relationships, cooperative childcare, and sentinel systems that require appropriate group size and composition to function normally. Groups that are too small, or where dominant and subordinate individuals are forced into proximity without adequate space or social complexity, show elevated aggression and suppressed natural behaviour. Thermal management is equally important: meerkats from southern African arid environments require hot, dry conditions with sun access for thermoregulation and cold-retreat options for peak heat. Burrowing substrate — sand or suitable soft soil — enables one of the most fundamental behavioural expressions of this species and significantly reduces stereotypic behaviour in captive groups.