African wild dog subordinates suppress reproduction and provide cooperative care. Understanding their welfare within natural pack structures informs conservation management.
Subordinate wild dogs within stable packs exhibit lower physiological stress indicators than dispersing individuals, suggesting that cooperative group living is welfare-positive even for reproductively suppressed individuals. The killing of subordinate litters by dominant females represents acute welfare harm but is a natural behaviour pattern. Conservation management decisions including translocation must account for the welfare needs of all pack members — removing dominant individuals can destabilise packs and increase subordinate stress and mortality. Pack integrity should be preserved whenever possible during management interventions.