Encouragingly, this is happening in many parts of the world, including a recent sighting of a wolf in Brandenburg, Germany. When this happens, species often move back by themselves. Rewilding can occur passively, by changing laws to stop the exclusion or killing of large carnivores and making areas more favourable for carnivores to live. Image credit: Pawel Papis/shutterstock How is it done? In California, when coyotes disappeared due to habitat destruction, populations of smaller predators such as cats grew and songbird numbers fell.ĭingoes are a controversial carnivore in Australia. If humans poison, shoot, trap and exclude top predators like dingoes, smaller predators can increase in number and get bolder, in a phenomenon called mesopredator release. For example, wolves chasing, eating and scaring deer can lead to an increase in the growth of plants, which can benefit other species. The effect of dingoes in reducing, say, kangaroo and wallaby populations and changing their behaviour, can actually help bring back plants and smaller animals through a “ trophic cascade”.

The landscape of fear predators create can make it harder for prey species to survive. When prey species know a predator is around and perceive risk to their survival, they change how they behave. Predators can affect their prey’s behaviour. Related: The Dog Fence: what future for this iconic but contentious barrier? Predators vs prey

Predator vs prey win lose or draw