Scotland's ambitious rewilding projects aim to restore natural ecosystems, but the welfare implications for animals introduced, displaced, or affected by ecological changes require careful consideration.
Rewilding creates complex welfare trade-offs. Restored ecosystems generally support higher welfare for more animals than degraded ones - diverse habitats provide food, shelter, and space for a wider range of species. However, reintroduction itself causes stress for individual animals. Prey species like deer may experience greater predation pressure from restored predator populations. Agricultural animals near rewilded zones face conflict risk. Carefully managed rewilding with welfare monitoring of both released and resident animals provides the most ethical approach.