Wolf reintroduction programs raise welfare considerations for both the reintroduced animals and the prey species and livestock they interact with, requiring holistic welfare assessment.
Wolf reintroduction welfare encompasses multiple species and complex interactions. Individual wolves undergoing capture, translocation, and release experience acute stress and face elevated mortality risks during establishment. Pack social structures disrupted by selective capture and transport take time to stabilise, affecting social welfare during this period. Prey species welfare is affected both by increased predation pressure and by the behavioural changes in prey populations that predation risk drives. However, trophic cascade effects can also improve habitat quality for many species. The welfare of livestock and their owners affected by predation must also be considered in holistic assessment. The most welfare-positive wolf management programs minimise stress in translocation procedures, provide robust compensation and prevention support for affected farmers, and monitor wolf welfare outcomes alongside conservation metrics.