Rewilding projects that reintroduce large carnivores create complex welfare considerations for both the reintroduced animals and the prey species whose population dynamics are altered by predation pressure.
Rewilding raises profound questions about how welfare frameworks should apply to natural ecological processes. Large carnivore reintroduction increases predation — an acute welfare harm for individual prey animals killed — while potentially improving ecosystem health and enabling prey populations to develop anti-predator behaviors that may improve their overall fitness. The welfare of reintroduced carnivores themselves deserves attention: animals moved from captivity or different habitats face stress, unfamiliar prey species, and high mortality during establishment. From a welfare perspective, investments in supporting reintroduced animals through establishment — supplemental feeding, veterinary monitoring, territory protection — improve welfare outcomes for the individual animals bearing the costs of rewilding conservation goals. Livestock protection tools including guardian dogs, electric fencing, and compensation programs address the human-wildlife conflict that threatens rewilding program survival.