Harbor seal rehabilitation programs have achieved high post-release survival rates, demonstrating that rescue and rehabilitation improve individual wild animal welfare outcomes.
The welfare calculus for marine mammal rehabilitation has strengthened as tracking data improves. Early skepticism about post-release survival has been substantially addressed by long-term studies showing successful reintegration. The primary welfare challenges are procedural stress during treatment and holding, which rehabilitation centers minimize through low-disturbance protocols, visual barriers, and appropriate social housing. Wild-caught diet fish provision and progressive foraging challenges are critical for release readiness.