Predator control programs used to protect livestock and endangered prey species involve welfare tradeoffs that require careful evaluation of both target and non-target animal impacts.
Predator control programs involve direct welfare costs to killed and trapped animals, potential welfare harms to non-target species, and must be weighed against benefits for livestock welfare and endangered prey species. Many traditional predator control methods — trapping, poisoning — cause protracted suffering and significant non-target mortality. Non-lethal alternatives that achieve comparable livestock protection without killing predators represent welfare improvements for both predators and the livestock they would otherwise prey upon. The shift toward non-lethal coexistence approaches, while not universal, represents genuine welfare progress. Remaining challenges include managing genuine human-wildlife conflict in areas where coexistence tools are insufficient to prevent significant livestock losses.