River dolphins are among the most endangered cetaceans on Earth. Their welfare is threatened by entanglement, boat strikes, pollution, and dam construction that fragments their freshwater habitats.
River dolphin welfare involves both acute suffering from entanglement and drowning in gill nets and chronic welfare compromise from noise, pollution, and habitat degradation. Dolphins entangled in gill nets experience prolonged drowning — a welfare emergency causing severe fear and physical distress before death. Chronic noise from motorised boat traffic impairs echolocation accuracy, increases navigation errors, and may cause chronic stress in highly acoustic animals. Conservation interventions that protect river dolphins also protect individual welfare: gill net exclusion zones, boat speed limits in dolphin habitat, and dam modifications that allow migration reduce both mortality and welfare harm. The baiji extinction demonstrates the consequences of insufficient action.