Wolf recovery across Europe and North America has brought predator-livestock conflicts that, when managed poorly, result in both animal suffering and erosion of public support for wolf conservation.
Wolf-livestock conflict is primarily a human welfare and conservation management problem, but it has direct animal welfare dimensions. Livestock attacked by wolves suffer acute trauma and injury. Wolves caught in snares set by frustrated ranchers suffer prolonged pain and death. The resolution is neither simple tolerance of unlimited predation nor the elimination of recovered wolf populations. It lies in effective non-lethal deterrence, well-funded compensation, and coexistence frameworks that make wolf presence economically manageable. The long-term welfare of both wild wolves and livestock depends on successful conflict resolution.