Rewilding programs restore natural ecological processes by reintroducing species and allowing natural vegetation recovery. Their welfare implications for both reintroduced and existing species deserve careful consideration.
Rewilding raises genuine animal welfare questions. Animals in rewilded areas are subject to natural mortality from disease, predation, and starvation - all of which cause suffering. However, they also have access to natural behaviours, social structures, and complex environments that intensive farming prevents. The welfare of individual animals in rewilding versus intensive farming is complex but generally favours rewilding for most species. Active welfare monitoring - checking for injured animals, intervening in severe cases, providing emergency veterinary care - represents responsible rewilding practice.