Meerkats kept in zoos and sanctuaries outside of tourism contexts still face welfare challenges related to group dynamics, space, and behavioral expression.
Meerkats in captivity present complex welfare management challenges. Their sophisticated social hierarchy means that housing decisions — group size, composition, space allocation — have cascading welfare effects throughout the group. A dominant female who suppresses reproduction in subordinates is exhibiting natural behavior, but in a confined group this can cause chronic stress that would normally be resolved by dispersal. Welfare-conscious meerkat management requires understanding and accommodating their behavioral ecology.