Meerkats are highly social mongooses with elaborate cooperative social structures that make them engaging zoo subjects, but their welfare depends on appropriate group size, behavioral complexity, and management that respects their sentinel behavior.
Meerkat welfare in zoos is generally positive when groups are appropriately sized and managed, as their social nature means group living provides much of the enrichment these animals need. The interactive exhibit model does raise welfare concerns when meerkats are handled by visitors in ways that disrupt normal social dynamics or prevent retreat. Disease management for tuberculosis requires careful monitoring without creating excessive veterinary stress. Foraging enrichment using buried food items engages the natural digging and foraging behavior that meerkats perform for many hours in wild conditions. Well-managed meerkat exhibits demonstrate that small social carnivores can maintain good welfare in zoo settings when the social group is stable and the environment provides appropriate behavioral complexity.