Rewilding projects restore ecosystems and species to landscapes from which they disappeared. But individual animals introduced to rewilded landscapes face welfare challenges that conservation biology often overlooks in favour of population-level metrics.
Rewilding creates a genuine tension between ecosystem-level benefits and individual animal welfare costs. A wolf released into a rewilded landscape may starve if prey density is insufficient, be killed in territorial conflict with established animals, or face lethal management after raiding livestock. These are real welfare costs that conservation projects should acknowledge and minimise through better pre-release assessment, post-release monitoring, and conflict prevention support. The welfare case for rewilding is strongest when: habitat quality and prey availability are assured before release, support populations are established before fully wild management, and active welfare monitoring continues throughout establishment. Rewilding and welfare are not opposites — but they require explicit integration.