The Iberian wolf population has recovered significantly under legal protection, but faces ongoing illegal killing, livestock conflict, and debate about management that creates continuing welfare challenges.
Wolves poisoned with carbofuran or strychnine experience prolonged, agonising deaths through convulsions and organ failure. Cubs orphaned by killed adults starve in dens before being found. Wolves caught in snares experience restraint injury and prolonged suffering. Conflict-management shooting — where legally permitted — requires accurate shot placement for humane death, which is not always achieved. Wolves injured in failed trapping attempts may survive with impaired hunting ability, increasing livestock targeting and perpetuating conflict cycles.