Proposals to reintroduce grey wolves to the Scottish Highlands raise complex welfare questions about trophic cascades, prey species welfare, and livestock conflict.
Wolf reintroduction welfare arguments span multiple species and require consideration of both short-term individual harms and long-term population welfare outcomes. The case for wolf reintroduction on deer welfare grounds follows the same logic as lynx reintroduction: overpopulated deer herds in the absence of natural predators experience population crashes, disease, and starvation when populations exceed carrying capacity. Wolves, as more versatile and wide-ranging predators than lynx, would have more substantial effects on deer population density and distribution. Individual deer killed by wolves experience acute welfare harm through predation, but this must be weighed against the welfare benefit to the deer population as a whole through reduced starvation and disease. Livestock farmer welfare concerns involve both the genuine risk of livestock predation and the psychological stress of living with large predators near their animals. European evidence suggests predation losses are manageable with appropriate livestock protection measures, but these require investment and behaviour change that farming communities may reasonably resist without compensation and support. The trophic cascade effects of wolf presence - reducing deer browsing pressure, enabling vegetation recovery, benefiting birds and invertebrates - represent multi-species welfare improvements that add to the ethical case.