Spotted hyenas are highly intelligent, matriarchal carnivores whose complex social structure presents unique challenges for zoo management and welfare.
Spotted hyena welfare in zoo settings benefits from their cognitive sophistication and social motivation but requires management informed by their unusual social structure. Female dominance means female hyenas must have priority access to key resources in zoo settings; ignoring this hierarchy creates chronic stress for subordinate individuals. Group composition that reflects natural clan demographics — multiple related females with young and subordinate males — allows more natural behavioral expression than artificial groupings. Their high intelligence demands cognitive enrichment commensurate with their social complexity: puzzle feeders, scent trails, and novel problem-solving challenges engage their capabilities. Their effective social communication through whoops, giggles, and whines should not be suppressed by management — these vocalizations are meaningful behavioral expressions. Conservation education through hyena exhibits addresses significant public misconceptions about hyena behavior and ecology.