Meerkats are intensely social, cooperative-breeding mongooses with complex group dynamics. Their welfare in zoo settings depends critically on appropriate group management and natural behaviour opportunities.
Meerkat welfare requires understanding their cooperative social structure and the psychological role of group cohesion. Groups that are too small lose the collective sentinel behaviour that provides individual security; groups that are too large or poorly managed develop chronic reproductive suppression stress in subordinate females. Foraging enrichment replicating insectivorous foraging — scatter feeding, hidden invertebrates, digging substrate — addresses core behavioural needs that simple food provision does not. Temperature management is critical for desert-adapted animals in temperate climates; heated shelters and choice between warm and cool areas are welfare essentials. Meerkats are often popular zoo exhibits, but their welfare requirements for group size, social complexity, and dietary enrichment must not be compromised for display convenience.