Providing zoo carnivores with feeding opportunities that engage hunting behaviors is among the most important welfare interventions for species like big cats, bears, and wolves.
Carnivore feeding enrichment addresses one of the most fundamental behavioral needs in zoo animals - the expression of hunting and food-acquisition behaviors that occupy large portions of wild carnivore time budgets. Passive presentation of pre-cut food is nutritionally adequate but behaviorally barren. Enriched feeding approaches that require manipulation, problem-solving, or extended investigation produce measurably more diverse behavioral repertoires and lower rates of stereotypy in zoo carnivores.