"Is 'Daily Meals' Unnatural for Lions? Behavioral Changes Observed at a Zoo That Provided Whole Prey"

Is "Daily Meals" for Zoo Lions Truly Natural?

Every morning, food appears. The next day, and the day after, meals are provided at almost the same time.

While this routine may seem normal to humans, it represents a rather unusual environment from the perspective of wild lions.

Wild lions do not have the luxury of eating at a fixed time every day. When they succeed in hunting, they consume a large amount of meat at once and may not eat anything for a while afterward. After becoming full, they rest for extended periods and gradually spend more time moving and exploring as time passes.

So, what would happen if zoos adjusted not only the content of the meals but also the "manner of eating" and "intervals between meals" to resemble the wild?

This question was investigated by a study conducted by the University of Adelaide in Australia and Monarto Safari Park in South Australia.

The research, published in the journal "Applied Animal Behaviour Science" in 2026, experimented with "whole-carcass feeding" for captive African lions, where entire animal carcasses were provided.

The results showed changes beyond merely "longer feeding times."

Eat, rest, and start moving again.

A rhythm reminiscent of wild lions emerged in their lifestyle over several days.

Providing approximately 200kg of kangaroo or goat every nine days

The study focused on seven African lions housed at Monarto Safari Park.

Among them, three nine-year-old males formed the experimental group, while two other males and two females, totaling four, were the control group.

For the experimental group, normal conditions were observed for four weeks, followed by eight weeks of feeding a combination of kangaroo or goat carcasses, totaling about 200kg per session, every nine days.

The carcasses were left accessible for up to three days, after which there was a period without food.

In other words, instead of eating small portions of meat quickly every day, a cycle was created where they "acquired a large amount of food at once, consumed it over several days, and then went without food for a while."

The study period lasted about three months, from February to May 2025. The research team used eight infrared cameras to observe the lions 24 hours a day, including nighttime.

In zoo studies, behavior is often recorded only during opening hours, but lions are active at night as well. Therefore, data tracking throughout the day, as done in this study, is significant.

A notable feature of this study was examining not only "what happened immediately after the food was placed" but also how the effects continued for several days.

Feeding time tripled

The most noticeable change occurred on the days carcasses were provided.

The time lions spent on feeding behavior increased significantly compared to usual, nearly tripling according to the University of Adelaide's announcement.

This is understandable when considering the reasons.

With cut-up meat, they can eat and swallow it directly. However, with whole prey, it's not that simple.

Lions must pull at the skin and meat, tear it with their teeth, hold it down with their forepaws, and change their position while eating. They may also return to the carcass after some time.

Thus, the carcass becomes not just a "nutrient-filled mass" but an object that demands many actions from the lions.

In the welfare of captive animals, "environmental enrichment" is emphasized to reduce boredom and elicit the animal's inherent behaviors.

However, the paper raises a further question: for animals like lions that naturally consume whole prey, should carcass feeding be considered merely a "special treat"?

The actions of pulling, tearing, and handling bones and tissues may not be leisure stimuli but rather the biological feeding behavior of lions.

Resting when full and moving again as hunger returns

Even more intriguing is the change after eating.

Lions that ate a large amount subsequently increased their resting time.

As the fasting period progressed and food ran out, their movement gradually increased.

This cycle of "eating a lot → resting → becoming active again" is seen by the research team as similar to the feast-and-fast lifestyle of wild lions.

The key point here is that it's not just about making the lions "exercise a lot."

When considering animal welfare, humans tend to think that long periods of lying down mean "boredom" or "lack of energy."

However, for large carnivores, resting for a long time after consuming a large amount of meat may be a natural behavior.

Conversely, constantly being active and walking around is not necessarily healthy.

When observing behavior, it's important to look not just at "how much activity there is" but also at how that activity creates a rhythm with meals and time of day.

This study demonstrated that point over several days, not just hours.

The behavior of "continuously pacing the same area" did not disappear

On the other hand, it's dangerous to simplify the study results as "giving whole carcasses makes lions happy."

The research team also investigated a behavior known as "pacing."

Pacing is a repetitive behavior where animals repeatedly traverse a specific area. It is often observed in captive carnivores and is associated with various factors such as anticipation, excitement, and environmental stimuli.

In this study, pacing increased in the latter half of the experiment compared to the baseline.

However, interestingly, it did not increase linearly as the number of days without food grew.

Notable peaks coincided with routine care schedules, such as the times when keepers arrived or when lions were moved to different enclosures.

In other words, the lions may not have been "pacing because they were hungry" but rather reacting to predictable cues like the arrival of people, doors opening, or the possibility of food being provided.

Even if the food itself is made more natural, the influence of "human-determined schedules" does not disappear.

This is a very intriguing point when considering the captive environment.

The feared "food fights" did not increase

Another concern when providing large chunks of meat to multiple male lions is conflict.

There is a possibility that aggression could increase over valuable food, worsening relationships between individuals.

However, in the three lions observed, there was no evidence of increased aggression or social instability after starting carcass feeding.

At least for this group, the simple result of "placing whole prey leads to fierce competition" did not occur.

However, this result cannot be generalized to all lions.

The experimental group consisted of a very small group of three nine-year-old males. Results may vary with differences in age, gender, relationships between individuals, group composition, and space for captivity.

The research paper itself describes it as a "small group," indicating the need for further verification with more individuals in the future.

"Closer to nature" does not mean "better welfare"

The most important caution when reading this study is not to conclude that "increased wild-like behavior = overall improvement in animal welfare."

Indeed, behaviors such as spending time on meals, tearing and pulling meat, and resting for long periods after eating are closer to the lion's natural ecology.

However, evaluating an animal's condition requires more than just behavior.

Nutritional status, weight, digestive condition, physiological indicators related to stress, and satiety must also be considered.

The research team also acknowledges the need for physiological measurements in addition to behavioral observations in the future.

Moreover, simply replicating the wild is not the goal.

In the wild, failure to hunt leads to starvation, and injuries can occur during struggles with prey. Recreating these conditions in zoos does not necessarily improve welfare.

The aim of captive facilities is not to "completely copy the wild" but to create an environment where important behaviors for the species can be expressed while protecting animals from unnecessary dangers.

On social media, voices say "it's natural," while others resist the carcasses themselves

The research results were published on August 6, 2026, and at present, it's hard to say that a sufficient amount of social media reactions to the study itself have accumulated.

In this context, reactions to "feeding carcasses to carnivores at zoos" that have been repeated on social media are informative.

For instance, when carcass feeding for tigers at Auckland Zoo in New Zealand became a topic in 2023, many posts on Reddit supported the idea that "it's natural for carnivores to eat animals" and expressed surprise at people being shocked by the actual sight of carcass feeding.

Thus, among users who understand the ecology of carnivores, there is noticeable resistance to viewing the sight of eating carcasses as overly cruel.

In discussions on Reddit involving zoo personnel, opinions from the field have emerged, such as "sourcing carcasses from local farms where the origin is known" and "animals euthanized with drugs cannot be used as food due to drug residue issues."

What becomes apparent is that not only "whether to provide carcasses" but also "where the animals came from" and "whether safety is confirmed" are important points.

A Danish zoo that sparked controversy over "natural feeding"

On the other hand, carcass feeding is not always received positively.

In 2025, Aalborg Zoo in Denmark called on citizens to provide small animals such as rabbits, guinea pigs, and chickens, and even horses under certain conditions, as food for carnivores, sparking a global debate.

The zoo explained it as an effort to provide carnivores with a diet closer to nature and to avoid wasting food.

However, on social media, while some voices expressed understanding, saying "it's rational" and "there's no need to hide the food chain," there was also widespread strong resistance to the idea of recruiting former pets as zoo food.

This issue includes a different problem from the current lion study.

The scientific question of "is it natural for lions to eat carcasses?" and the ethical question of "what kind of carcass procurement does society tolerate?" are not the same.

Even if scientific benefits are demonstrated for the former, it does not automatically provide answers for the latter.

Why are we okay with "meat" but surprised by "carcasses"?

An interesting aspect of reactions to carcass feeding is the difference in human perception.

Few people perceive the presence of animals when looking at meat sold in supermarkets or neatly cut zoo food.

However, when heads, legs, skin, and bones remain, even though it's the same meat, the fact that it was once a whole animal becomes visible.

At that moment, the meal becomes something vivid.

The pros and cons of carcass feeding on social media are not only about lion welfare but also about how much humans can tolerate the visualization of the food chain and animal death.

For lions, both meat cuts and carcasses are food, but for humans, they are not psychologically the same.

Zoos are not only places for keeping animals but also educational facilities visited by many children and families.

When introducing carcass feeding, communication on how to explain it to visitors, in addition to its impact on animals, will be important.

The "Zoo Diet" That This Study Might Change

The value of this study is not in the simplistic notion that "lions were happy when given carcasses."

The important point is reconsidering zoo diets not just as "what and how many kilograms to provide" in terms of nutritional management, but as a behavioral issue of "in what form," "how much time to spend," and "at what intervals to eat."

For human management, it's easier to provide a set amount of food at a set time every day.

However, that convenience may not be optimal for the animals.

Tearing prey apart.

Taking time to eat.

Resting when full.

And after a few days, activity levels rise again.

What the lions showed was not just about the meal itself but the "use of time" structured around the meal.

If zoos truly aim to enhance the welfare of wild animals, they may need to consider not only luxurious facilities and large exhibits but also "how a day is spent" and "the rhythm over several days."

And this question is also posed to us, the visitors.

Do we want to see animals in zoos that are easy for humans to view, cute, and neatly maintained?

Or do we want to see animals expressing their inherent behaviors as much as possible, even if it's sometimes vivid?

The changes shown by the three lions in front of approximately 200kg of carcasses may serve as a small but intriguing material for rethinking "naturalness" and "welfare" in zoos.