Raptors in zoo settings face specific welfare challenges from their apex predator nature and aerial behavioral needs. Evidence-based care substantially improves their welfare.
Raptor welfare in zoo settings involves managing the tension between display needs (stationary birds visible to visitors) and welfare needs (flight opportunities, varied perching, and cognitive engagement). Raptors that are tethered without flight opportunities cannot express their most fundamental locomotor behavior. Well-designed raptor programs use falconry-based training to allow flight while maintaining the human-animal relationship necessary for zoo management. Non-releasable rehabilitation birds - those with injuries preventing wild survival - can provide genuine conservation value in zoo educational programs while receiving welfare-positive care. The welfare benchmark should be a raptor that maintains excellent feather condition, appropriate weight, calm behavior around people, and regular flight opportunities.