Sea otters are a keystone species whose return to Pacific coastlines has transformed kelp forest ecosystems. Their welfare story illustrates both conservation success and ongoing human-caused threats.
Sea otter welfare depends on kelp forest health. Without dense kelp habitat providing cover, prey, and anchor points for sleeping, otter welfare deteriorates rapidly. Oil contamination — as in the Exxon Valdez spill — coats fur that otters rely on for thermal insulation, causing hypothermia and death. Oil-contaminated otters require intensive rehabilitation involving washing, rewarming, and behavioral readaptation that takes weeks. Entanglement in crab pots and gillnets causes drowning. Great white shark attacks have increased as shark populations recover. Despite these threats, sea otter recovery demonstrates that removing the primary human pressure — hunting — enables natural population recovery with ecosystem-wide benefits.