Thriving, not just surviving
Meeting the minimum keeps an animal alive; thriving is what breeding programmes and release candidates actually need.
Welfare has two levels. The minimum is the published set: temperature band, terrain ranges, space, group limits, enrichment categories. Thriving sits above it and depends on enrichment variety and, where the Zoopedia lists them, compatible species.
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Species with a thriving partner listed | 16 |
| Species with neutral partners listed | 65 |
| Species in the dataset | 136 |
Only a minority of records name a species that makes another thrive, so for most animals enrichment is the lever you actually control.
- Place the food-based and habitat enrichment the species page lists — both categories are checked separately.
- Use the companion column before building a mixed habitat: neutral partners are safe, missing partners are not a claim of compatibility.
- Thriving is per animal, so one animal outside a limit drags the group down.
- Check welfare right after adding enrichment, not days later.
FAQ
Common questions about this topic.
What is the difference between surviving and thriving?
The minimum keeps the animal healthy; thriving adds enrichment variety and, where published, companion species. Breeding and release work should wait for thriving.
Does every species have a thriving partner?
No — only a minority of Zoopedia records list one. Where none is listed, the site says so instead of inventing a pairing.
How do I raise welfare quickly?
Temperature first (single value, cheap to fix), then enrichment categories from the species page.