Sea turtle strandings are increasing globally due to entanglement, pollution, and cold stunning. Rehabilitation programs achieve high release rates but face major welfare challenges during recovery.
Sea turtle rehabilitation involves genuine welfare trade-offs. Cold-stunned turtles must be warmed gradually to prevent shock. Debilitated animals require tube feeding, wound care, and sometimes surgery. Flipper amputations are common and turtles often adapt remarkably well to life with three flippers in managed care. Long-term captivity for non-releasable turtles raises welfare questions about appropriate enrichment and social housing. The decision about when rehabilitation is in an individual animal's interest versus causing extended suffering requires experienced judgment. Post-release satellite tracking is revealing that some rehabilitated turtles have full survival rates comparable to wild counterparts.