Some species are so poorly suited to captivity that welfare honestly requires asking whether zoo keeping is justifiable. Wolverines exemplify this difficult question.
Wolverines represent a species where the honest welfare assessment may be that captivity is not justifiable. The gap between their natural ranging behaviour and what any zoo can provide is so large that welfare deficits — evidenced by extremely high stereotypy rates — appear to be an inherent feature of captivity rather than a correctable management problem. The welfare obligation when a species cannot achieve adequate welfare in captivity is to phase out holding, not to expand it. Facilities currently holding wolverines should honestly assess whether their management achieves acceptable welfare outcomes, and consider transition plans if the answer is negative.