Wild Animals

Noise Pollution and Wildlife Welfare

Anthropogenic noise pollution disrupts wildlife communication, behaviour, and physiology across land and ocean habitats.

Key Facts

Ocean noise from shipping and sonar has increased dramatically over recent decades
Cetaceans use sound for navigation, communication, and feeding; noise causes disorientation and panic
Road noise reduces bird song detection ranges by up to 95 percent in adjacent habitats
Noise exposure causes elevated stress hormones in birds, fish, and mammals
Military sonar exercises have been linked to mass strandings of beaked whales

Welfare Considerations

Noise pollution is an invisible threat to wildlife welfare with measurable physiological impacts including elevated stress hormones, impaired communication, and disorientation. Ocean noise causing cetacean strandings represents acute welfare failure. Land-based noise pollution causes chronic stress across many species. Reducing noise pollution is an often overlooked welfare priority.

What You Can Do

Support campaigns to regulate ocean noise from shipping, sonar, and industrial operations
Advocate for noise buffer zones around important wildlife habitats
Reduce engine noise in areas with noise-sensitive wildlife
Support research into the welfare impacts of noise pollution on different species
Choose recreational activities that minimise noise disturbance to wildlife