New feral and wildlife dynamics have emerged in the Carpathian Mountains after recent rewilding initiatives. Bison were reintroduced and a few of them were chased and eaten by feral dogs, offspring of stray dogs abandoned by humans. The article examines narratives surrounding feral dogs and bison and shows how people’s imaginaries rank forest animals based on various valuations of wildness, naturalness, and usefulness. In this ranking, feral dogs score the lowest. We suggest a few pathways to understanding this disapproval: dogs are hybrid, they are opportunistic predators and eat everything, and also they don’t work for the ecosystem.
