Rewilding initiatives reintroduce predators and restore ecological processes at landscape scale, raising important questions about suffering and wellbeing among wild animal populations.
Rewilding represents an exciting conservation approach, but it raises profound questions about wild animal welfare. Restoring ecosystem function may increase total suffering if predation rates rise and prey populations experience greater chronic stress. Welfare-sensitive rewilding considers individual experience alongside ecological metrics, selects reintroduction sites with sufficient prey base, monitors individual outcomes, and intervenes when feasible. These approaches need not undermine conservation goals and may strengthen public support.