Human-wildlife conflict — when wildlife damages crops, kills livestock, or injures people — is a major cause of wildlife persecution and death, with significant welfare implications.
Human-wildlife conflict causes direct welfare harm through retaliatory killing — often by poison, which causes prolonged suffering — and through the persecution of animals perceived as threats or pests. Less visible but equally real is the chronic stress of wildlife populations navigating landscapes where they face unpredictable human threat. Conflict mitigation that reduces the perceived threat from wildlife to human livelihoods is the most effective long-term strategy. Compensation schemes, predator-proof infrastructure, and community engagement all reduce both conflict and the retaliatory suffering it causes.