Rewilding programs that restore apex predators including lynx, wolves, and bears to former ranges create complex welfare outcomes for both the reintroduced animals and prey species affected by changed predator-prey dynamics.
Predator reintroduction creates complex welfare calculations. Individual predators face high mortality risk post-release from persecution, vehicle collisions, and competition. Prey species subject to predation experience acute welfare suffering during attacks, while chronic predator exposure causes ongoing stress even when not directly threatened. Against these welfare costs, rewilding supporters argue that predators enable more natural prey population dynamics and ecosystem health that benefits wildlife broadly. The welfare of individual animals in rewilded systems must be considered alongside population and ecosystem-level benefits.