Wolf reintroduction programmes have succeeded in restoring populations in parts of Europe and North America, but the welfare implications for reintroduced wolves and their interactions with livestock require careful management.
Wolf reintroduction is a conservation success story, but the welfare of individual wolves in recovering populations is complicated. Reintroduced wolves navigate landscapes shared with humans, roads, and livestock, and face elevated mortality compared to wolves in undisturbed wilderness. The death of pack members, particularly alpha individuals, disrupts social structures that are fundamental to wolf behaviour and wellbeing. Coexistence programmes that reduce livestock conflicts are therefore dual welfare interventions: they protect both the agricultural livelihoods of farmers and the social integrity of wolf packs. Policies that allow lethal control of problem individuals rather than pack-level culls, combined with effective livestock protection support for farmers, represent the most welfare-conscious approach to managing recovered wolf populations.