Northern and southern elephant seals have recovered spectacularly from near extinction, making them important research subjects, but their use in welfare-relevant research raises important ethical questions.
Elephant seal research ethics deserve attention as the species has become a model organism for physiological and ecological research. Tagging and biologger attachment requires capture, handling, and anaesthesia — all stressful procedures. The welfare benefits of information gained must be weighed against the costs of the research procedures. Natural elephant seal welfare is mixed: the breeding system involves male combat with real injury risk, and nursing females experience extreme fasting-induced physiological stress. However, these are natural evolved patterns rather than human-imposed harms. Research guidelines requiring minimised handling time, appropriate anaesthesia, and long-term device welfare assessment reflect evolving standards for ethical field research.