Wolf reintroduction programmes have restored populations across parts of Europe and North America. The welfare of both reintroduced wolves and surrounding wildlife deserves careful consideration.
Wolf reintroduction involves genuine welfare considerations for the reintroduced animals, who face higher mortality during establishment and may experience capture, transport, and collaring stress. However, successful reintroduction also confers welfare benefits at ecosystem scale through trophic effects that improve habitat quality for numerous species. Minimising the welfare costs of reintroduction through careful pack selection, monitoring, and conflict prevention maximises the net welfare benefit of these conservation programmes.