Wolf, lynx, and other carnivore reintroductions benefit ecosystems but raise welfare questions about predation suffering, with evidence that predation is often faster than alternative mortalities.
Predator reintroduction welfare analysis requires considering both the prey animals killed and the broader population. Predation death - while violent - is typically faster than the alternative deaths that face overabundant prey populations: starvation, disease, and parasitism. Lynx and wolves regulate deer populations at levels where individuals have better access to food and lower parasite burdens. The fear that prey animals experience in predator-presence is a real welfare cost but one that evolved alongside predation and is part of the natural experience of these species. Overall welfare outcomes from healthy predator-prey systems may be better than predator-free systems.