Sea otters are a keystone species in Pacific kelp forest ecosystems, with their conservation representing a welfare and ecological success story following near-extinction from the fur trade and ongoing threats from pollution and entanglement.
Sea otter welfare is inseparable from the health of the kelp forest ecosystems they inhabit. Otters in healthy kelp forests with abundant prey have access to the food, shelter and social conditions needed for good welfare. Otters exposed to oil contamination experience the extreme welfare harm of hypothermia as their fur loses insulating capacity — they must groom constantly to restore insulation, preventing normal foraging and social behaviour. Domoic acid poisoning from harmful algal blooms causes neurological damage and seizures in exposed otters. The conservation success of sea otter partial recovery demonstrates that dedicated protection can restore animal welfare at population scale even from extremely low numbers.