Coatis are social procyonids with specific behavioral needs around group living, foraging, and environmental complexity that are critical to welfare in captive settings.
Coati welfare is at particular risk in petting zoo contexts where animals may be subject to continuous handling, inappropriate diets from public feeding, and inadequate social housing. Solitary housing of social female coatis causes welfare compromise. Foraging enrichment is essential for animals with such strong rooting and searching behavioral drives. The popularity of coatis as interactive zoo animals must be balanced against the welfare cost of frequent human contact and handling stress. Evidence-based welfare assessment of coati exhibits should include behavioral time budget analysis.