Southern and northern elephant seals are highly adapted deep divers that face welfare challenges from prey distribution shifts driven by ocean warming and changing sea ice patterns.
Elephant seal welfare has seasonal and climate dimensions. Breeding season welfare challenges include fighting injuries in males and the extreme physiological stress of fasting lactation in females. Climate-related prey shifts mean that females returning to breed after extended foraging trips may arrive in poor body condition, with consequences for pup welfare. El Nino events that warm ocean surface layers and shift prey depth can cause acute mass starvation events affecting thousands of pups. While individual wildlife welfare intervention during such events is largely impractical, climate mitigation that reduces El Nino intensity and ocean warming is the most significant lever available.