Tigers are among the most visited zoo animals but also among the most challenging to house well; their welfare requires large, complex enclosures and meaningful behavioral opportunities.
Tiger welfare in captivity spans a wide quality spectrum, from accredited facilities with genuinely large, enriched naturalistic spaces to roadside attractions where tigers spend their lives in concrete cells. The extremes of this spectrum represent very different welfare realities. In good zoo environments with complex outdoor spaces, opportunities for hunting behavior simulation, social management appropriate to the species, and expert veterinary care, tigers can live long, behaviorally rich lives. In poor environments, they express chronic stress through repetitive pacing that cannot be adequately addressed by enrichment alone when the fundamental problem is spatial deprivation. The Big Cat Safety Act was an important step in addressing the worst private keeping conditions; continued enforcement and advocacy are needed to protect captive big cats across all sectors.