Meerkats are among the most social mammals, living in cooperative groups with complex dominance hierarchies. Their welfare in zoo settings depends on appropriate group management and environmental complexity.
Meerkat welfare in captivity is primarily determined by group composition and the quality of the foraging environment. As obligate social animals that have no viable solitary existence, meerkats kept in inadequate group sizes or poorly managed social compositions experience chronic social deprivation or dominance-related stress. The foraging environment is equally important: meerkats that can dig in appropriate substrate for hidden food express the behavioral sequence that occupies hours of their wild day. Visitor interaction with meerkats — common in walk-through exhibits — must be carefully managed to prevent chronic stress from unpredictable human behavior. Well-managed meerkat exhibits with large, diggable substrates and stable social groups demonstrate these animals thriving behaviorally.