The maned wolf is the largest canid in South America — a distinctive, solitary omnivore of the Brazilian Cerrado. Habitat loss, road mortality, and disease from domestic dogs threaten a species already vulnerable to rapid ecological change.
Maned wolf welfare in the wild is shaped by their solitary, wide-ranging lifestyle in a rapidly fragmenting landscape. Road mortality events — where animals are struck by vehicles while crossing through their large home ranges — cause acute suffering and contribute significantly to local population decline. Domestic dog disease spillover represents both mortality and the welfare cost of acute illness before death. Habitat fragmentation forces maned wolves into closer contact with human agricultural land, increasing vehicle collision risk and conflict with farmers who sometimes persecute them as chicken predators. In captivity, maned wolves have specific dietary needs that zoo diets must address — their fruit dependence and the lobeira connection mean that diverse fruit provision is an important welfare requirement. The Cerrado is one of the world's most threatened biodiversity hotspots, and its protection is both a conservation and welfare priority for this flagship species.