What effective enrichment for zoo tigers looks like and why getting it right matters for the welfare of these magnificent animals.
Tiger enrichment in zoos must engage the specific behavioural repertoire of an apex predator: stalking, ambushing, wrestling, scent marking, and the patient watchfulness of a species that may wait hours for the right opportunity to strike. Enrichment that merely stimulates curiosity or mild exploration misses the most important welfare dimension for tigers. The most effective programmes use whole prey items or parts that require extended engagement, novel scents from prey species or other tigers, physical challenges that engage the full body, and water features that allow the swimming and bathing that tigers seek in the wild. Zoos that invest in genuinely enriched tiger environments see dramatic improvements in time budgets — less pacing, more natural behaviour, better welfare outcomes.