Wild Animals in Captivity

Hediger, often called the father of zoo biology, wrote this seminal book establishing that captive animals have psychological as well as physical needs. He introduced concepts such as flight distance, territory and the importance of the qualitative use of space, arguing that a smaller, well-structured enclosure with the right features can serve an animal better than a large barren one. His insights into how animals perceive and use their environment laid the intellectual foundations for enrichment and naturalistic enclosure design. Though decades old, the work's emphasis on territory, hiding, elevation and biologically meaningful space remains directly relevant to felid husbandry and is repeatedly cited in modern welfare literature.