Eurasian otters have recovered strongly in many European rivers following pollution reductions, but face continuing threats from traffic, habitat degradation, and legacy contaminants. Their welfare reflects river ecosystem health.
Otter welfare is intimately linked to the health of river ecosystems. Clean water with abundant fish sustains otters' intensive foraging needs; polluted rivers cause nutritional stress and toxic accumulation. Road mortality has replaced pollution as the primary welfare threat in recovered populations — otters travelling between river systems cross roads at predictable locations, and wildlife crossing infrastructure can significantly reduce casualties. Climate change is altering river hydrology and fish availability in ways that will increasingly challenge otter welfare. Conservation of otters thus requires both site-level habitat management and systemic water quality and climate policy — demonstrating how individual animal welfare is inseparable from environmental stewardship.