Whole carcass feeding on a feast and fast schedule encouraged zoo-housed lions to display feeding and activity patterns more similar to those seen in the wild.
For lions living in human care, the timing and form of a meal can influence behavior for days. A new Australian study found that giving zoo-housed lions whole animal carcasses on a feast-and-fast schedule encouraged patterns of feeding, resting, and activity that more closely resembled those of lions in the wild.
The research, published in Applied Animal Behavior Science, was conducted by Adelaide University and Monarto Safari Park in South Australia. Researchers examined a group of adult male African lions after animal care staff added whole carcasses every nine days to an existing feast-and-fast feeding routine.
Three months of around-the-clock video showed that the animals spent substantially more time eating when carcasses were available, rested for longer afterward, and gradually became more active as the fasting period continued.
Lead author Lesia Hryhorenko of Adelaide University’s School of Animal and Veterinary Sciences said the study helps clarify how feeding routines can shape the behavior of carnivores kept in human care.
“Wild lions don’t eat at the same time every day. They experience natural periods of feasting and fasting depending on hunting success,” Hryhorenko said.
“We wanted to understand how African lions in human care respond when feeding routines more closely resemble those natural patterns.”
Whole carcasses changed feeding behavior
Researchers monitored three adult male lions at Monarto Safari Park before and after whole-carcass feeding was introduced. The research group also included Florence Demoulin, a visiting Belgian master’s student from the University of Liege.
During the experiment, keepers provided the lions with approximately 200 kilograms of carcasses. The food could remain available for as long as three days, after which the animals entered a period of rest and digestion.
Eight infrared cameras continuously recorded the lions, producing one of the most detailed 24-hour records collected from African lions in human care under a carcass feeding regime.
On days when carcasses were available, the lions spent almost three times as long feeding as they ordinarily did. They also ate more frequently and for longer stretches while tearing, manipulating, and consuming the carcasses, allowing them to perform a broader range of natural feeding behaviors.
Once they had eaten, the lions devoted considerably more time to lying down and resting. Their movement then increased gradually as the fasting period continued, producing a cycle similar to the feast-and-fast pattern documented in wild lion populations.
“Providing whole carcasses changes much more than the nutritional content of the diet,” Hryhorenko said.
“It gives lions the opportunity to engage in behaviors such as tearing, pulling, and manipulating food over extended periods, which are important components of their natural feeding ecology.”
Pacing tracked routine more than hunger
The researchers also tracked pacing, a repetitive behavior that is often associated with anticipation among carnivores living in human care.
Although pacing rose slightly across the study, it did not consistently increase as the lions went longer without food. Instead, the strongest increases occurred near regular keeper arrivals and habitat-shifting times, indicating that predictable routines were more closely associated with the behavior than hunger itself.
Carcass feeding was not accompanied by any observed increase in aggression or disruption of the lions’ social stability.
Continuous monitoring revealed longer effects
Co-author Associate Professor Alexandra Whittaker said the findings demonstrate why long-term, continuous observation matters when evaluating animal behavior and management practices.
“Many zoo studies focus only on what happens immediately after food is provided,” Associate Professor Whittaker said.
“Our results show that feeding schedules can influence behavior for days afterward, making it essential to look at behavioral patterns across the entire feeding cycle rather than a single feeding event.”
Future research that combines behavioral monitoring with physiological measurements could provide a more complete picture of how different feeding regimes influence animal welfare and wellbeing.
Reference: “Effects of implementing a whole-carcass feeding routine on the behaviour of zoo-housed African lions (Panthera leo)” by Lesia Hryhorenko, Florence Demoulin, Alexandra L. Whittaker, Todd J. McWhorter, Jon Allon, Rachel Hemming, Justine K. Partoon and Eduardo J. Fernandez, 11 May 2026, Applied Animal Behaviour Science.
DOI: 10.1016/j.applanim.2026.107041
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