Tigers are among the most space-demanding large carnivores in captivity, requiring large territories, complex enrichment and careful reproductive management for adequate welfare.
Tiger welfare in zoos is constrained fundamentally by the impossibility of providing territory approaching natural scale. The most welfare-positive zoo environments compensate by providing habitat complexity, sensory enrichment, and variable daily management that maximises agency and reduces predictability. Olfactory, tactile and acoustic enrichment exploits tigers' strong sensory capabilities. Reproductive management must be humane - contraceptive management is preferable to producing cubs that cannot be placed in appropriate facilities. The most honest welfare question for zoo tigers is whether life in captivity - even well-managed captivity - represents adequate welfare for a species evolved for solitary, wide-ranging predatory life. This question should drive continuous welfare improvement rather than comfortable acceptance of the status quo.