Narwhals are iconic Arctic cetaceans whose welfare is threatened by climate change, increased Arctic shipping traffic, and hunting, while their extreme seasonal lifestyle creates unique welfare challenges.
Narwhal welfare faces acute threats from climate change altering the Arctic environment they are exquisitely adapted to. Reduced sea ice removes protective cover from orca predation — narwhals evolved with ice as refuge, and its loss forces them into open water where orca encounters are more frequent and deadly. Disturbance responses ("ice entrapment") — where narwhals flee human activity into ice, becoming trapped under closing ice and drowning — represent a genuinely tragic welfare outcome. Chemical contamination from persistent organic pollutants causes immune dysfunction, reproductive impairment, and developmental problems. Reducing Arctic shipping disturbance through regulated shipping lanes and speed limits is a direct welfare intervention.