Rewilding projects that reintroduce apex predators reshape ecosystems in ways that have complex welfare implications for both predators and prey populations across large landscapes.
Rewilding and predator reintroduction raise profound welfare questions that conservation frameworks typically do not address. Individual predators reintroduced to unfamiliar landscapes experience high mortality from starvation, territorial conflicts, and vehicle collisions during establishment. Prey species experience chronic fear responses under predator pressure even when actual predation rates are low. These welfare costs must be weighed against the long-term welfare benefits to wildlife populations living in functionally complete ecosystems. The welfare case for rewilding is strongest when reintroduction protocols minimise establishment stress through soft-release methods, post-release monitoring, and adaptive management that supports struggling individuals.