Grey and harbour seals are frequently rescued from beaches across Europe and North America, with rehabilitation success rates varying significantly by cause of admission and facility quality.
Seal rehabilitation is a welfare intervention with clear benefit for genuinely injured or orphaned animals, but the first welfare principle is accurate assessment: a seal pup on a beach is not automatically in distress. Incorrect rescues impose the welfare costs of captivity — handling stress, novel environment, absence of natural learning — on animals that did not need rescue. For animals that do require rehabilitation, quality facilities and appropriate release planning maximize the welfare benefit of the intervention. The decision to release or provide permanent care requires honest assessment of each animal's physical and behavioral capabilities.