Welfare and management of wild cats in captivity: exploring nutrition, legislation and feeding behavior

This thesis focuses on the importance of proper management and welfare practices for the conservation of wild cat species in modern zoos and captivity settings. It provides an overview on the role these animals play in various ecosystems and highlights the main challenges faced by keepers and caretakers when managing their welfare. It will more specifically focus on the main nutrition strategies and sources, exploring the potential benefits and drawbacks of providing these animals with whole prey diets and periods of fasting, while taking into consideration species-specific behaviors, needs and ethical concerns associated with this approach.