The green sea turtle is one of the world's most recognisable marine reptiles, found in tropical and subtropical waters globally. Despite conservation progress, they face persistent threats from entanglement, pollution, disease, and nesting habitat loss — each with direct welfare implications.
Green sea turtles experience significant welfare challenges throughout their lives. Entanglement in fishing gear causes drowning, flipper amputation, and traumatic injury. Fibropapillomatosis can produce hundreds of tumours, impairing vision, movement, and feeding — affected turtles suffer slow starvation. Plastic ingestion mimics satiation, causing animals to stop eating despite inadequate nutrition. Boat strikes cause traumatic injuries that may leave turtles with permanent buoyancy disorders. Beach lighting disorients hatchlings, leading them away from the sea — many die of exhaustion or predation. At the population level, warming temperatures shift sex ratios toward females, reducing long-term reproductive viability. Welfare interventions — rehabilitation, bycatch reduction, FP treatment — directly relieve individual suffering while supporting population recovery.