Meerkats are popular zoo exhibits but their complex cooperative social structure and territorial behavior create specific welfare requirements that are often inadequately met.
Meerkat welfare centers on maintaining the social cohesion and behavioral repertoire of a highly cooperative species. Their sentinel behavior system — a sophisticated alarm call system with predator-specific calls — requires space for elevated observation posts, unobstructed sightlines, and group sizes large enough for sentinel rotation without overtaxing individuals. Small groups cannot maintain full behavioral complexity. Breeding dynamics create a welfare nuance: dominant females suppress subordinate female reproduction through hormonal and behavioral mechanisms, sometimes including infanticide. Zoos must manage this with awareness of the stress it creates for subordinate females. Foraging enrichment — food hidden in sand or substrates — engages natural digging and investigatory behavior and significantly reduces the stereotypic pacing seen in unoccupied meerkats.