Wolf reintroduction creates both conservation benefits and livestock welfare challenges. Effective coexistence strategies are central to successful recovery programmes.
Wolf recovery creates welfare considerations for multiple animal populations. Prey species including deer and elk experience increased predation risk, but at the population level this may improve overall herd health through selective predation of weaker individuals. Livestock welfare is directly affected when depredation events occur; the fear and stress experienced by prey species and livestock during wolf encounters has welfare significance. Wolves themselves experience welfare costs when lethal management disrupts family groups. Coexistence strategies that protect livestock through non-lethal means while allowing wolf populations to function as intact social units represent the most welfare-positive approach.