Freshwater stingrays from South American river systems present unique welfare challenges in zoo settings, including water chemistry requirements and enrichment needs.
Freshwater stingrays in zoo touch pools face welfare challenges from multiple directions. The physical modifications made for visitor safety — barb trimming — involve tissue damage and pain, even if temporary. Touch pool interactions involve repeated handling by visitors unfamiliar with stingray biology, creating chronic disturbance. Water quality maintenance in high-throughput touch pool environments is challenging, and deviations from optimal chemistry cause physiological stress. Better welfare outcomes come from display-only exhibits that provide appropriate substrate for burying, varied water flow, and prey scent enrichment without visitor contact. Some progressive institutions have moved away from touch pools for elasmobranchs entirely.