Stress is why enrichment is so important, sadly I am not sure that zoos in Mexico keep up to the same standards as most in the US.
Many people cannot tell the difference between normal territorial patrolling and stereotypical pacing. It's natural for animals to patrol the boundaries of their territory - in good zoos, this is what big cats are typically doing. They will also pace back and forth at a particular spot if there is something there that interests them, or they are expecting the arrival of their keeper. This is NOT a sign of stress or boredom.
Stereotypical pacing, which IS a sign of stress or boredom, is a different thing altogether, and is typically only seen in poor zoos with inadequate enclosures. This is unlikely in countries that closely monitor their zoos for quality, like the UK or US, but common in developing countries where animals are kept in small cages for human entertainment.
NO, that is not normal. The behavior is called is *stereotypic movement* and it's any repetitive, non-productive, mindless, almost hypnotic actions that captive animals display. Stereotypy is caused by sheer BOREDOM, *not anxiety* as others have erroneously stated. It's a chronic habit which affects many different species (even fish) and it is brought on by lack of mental stimulation.
When you take an animal like a tiger which has a natural range many *miles in diameter, then cram it into a 10' x 20' concrete & iron box, the psychological effects can be devastating. In the wild, a tiger's natural range is several MILES in diameter, so to be limited to a tiny cage is cruelty beyond measure. That's really what you were seeing-- the symptoms of an animal slowly going insane.
No. That's a stress behavior. Unfortunately it is very common in zoos
that's not how a tiger would behave in the wild ,but , it is normal to see this in zoos . I'm not sure that zoos are a good thing
if the enclosure was plain or small, it was probably bored/stressed. good zoos will have larger enclosures with toys and a variety of 'natural' enrichment elements like ponds and rocks to climb
