Wildlife rehabilitation centres care for millions of orphaned and injured animals annually, raising welfare considerations across admission, housing, treatment, and release. Orphaned mammals require species-appropriate nutrition, socialisation, and minimal human imprinting to enable successful release. Welfare challenges include capture myopathy, transport stress, inappropriate human bonding, and inadequate facilities. Release success varies substantially by species: raptors show 60–80% post-release survival; hedgehogs 30–50%; marine mammals 60–70% depending on condition at admission. International Wildlife Rehabilitation Council (IWRC) and NWRA publish standards covering housing, nutrition, enrichment, and release criteria. Research demonstrates that welfare-conscious protocols — including quiet handling, species-appropriate socialisation, and pre-release conditioning — significantly improve post-release survival rates.