White stork reintroduction programs across western Europe are successfully re-establishing breeding populations, raising important questions about reintroduced animal welfare.
Rewilding reintroductions raise specific welfare concerns that conservation programs must address. Reintroduced storks need to learn migration routes, avoid human hazards like power lines, and find adequate food in landscapes that may have changed dramatically since the species was last present. The welfare of individual reintroduced animals must be balanced against the conservation benefit of re-establishing populations. Captive-rearing methods, release timing, and post-release monitoring all affect individual stork welfare and reintroduction success.