Large carnivores including lions, tigers, wolves, and bears have large natural home ranges that cannot be replicated in zoos, making behavioural management and enrichment critical for their welfare.
Large carnivore welfare in zoos faces an inherent tension between the animals' extensive natural home ranges and the constraints of urban zoological facilities. Research shows that species with larger natural ranges show higher rates of stereotypic behaviour in captivity, suggesting that enclosure size is a meaningful welfare determinant. However, enclosure complexity, landscape heterogeneity, enrichment provision, and social management also significantly affect welfare independently of total space. The most welfare-positive zoo carnivore facilities combine large complex spaces with daily enrichment, appropriate social grouping, and feeding programmes that promote natural hunting behaviours. Transparency about welfare outcomes is increasingly expected from accredited zoos.