What African wild dog welfare in captivity requires in terms of pack management, space and conservation contribution.
African wild dog welfare in captivity is fundamentally a social management challenge. As obligate social hunters with elaborate cooperative communication systems, their welfare is inseparable from the quality of their social environment. A pack with stable membership, appropriate sex ratios and sufficient space to express cooperative and play behaviours can achieve good welfare in captivity; a fractured or incorrectly managed pack causes chronic social stress. The conservation value of maintaining genetically diverse captive packs is real but must not override the welfare obligation to each individual animal in a dysfunctional social environment. The welfare and conservation goals are aligned when pack management achieves both.