Research overview: play behaviour and development in captive big cats

Play is prominent in young big cats and persists in enriched captive settings, where it supports physical development and welfare. This overview surveys research on social and object play in lion, tiger, and other big-cat cubs, the developmental trajectory from social play toward predatory-style object play, and the use of play as an enrichment and welfare indicator in zoos. It discusses how play reflects positive affective states and how its absence may signal stress or poor conditions. The topic links the ontogeny of play to the acquisition of locomotor and predatory skills and to practical assessment of well-being in managed large carnivores.