Positive welfare indicators for zoo animals go beyond absence of suffering to assess genuinely positive mental states including play, exploration, and social engagement.
The shift toward positive welfare assessment represents a conceptual advance beyond ensuring animals are not suffering. An animal that is not in pain, not hungry, and not fearful but spends all day inactive and disengaged may not be suffering acutely but is not experiencing good welfare. Positive welfare requires expression of species-typical behaviors driven by positive motivational states: exploration driven by curiosity, play driven by engagement, social behavior driven by genuine social motivation. Zoo welfare assessment that tracks both negative indicators and positive indicators provides a more complete welfare picture. The goal for zoo animals is not merely a welfare floor but a welfare ceiling.