Sea turtle rehabilitation has become a sophisticated welfare discipline with evidence-based protocols for recovery and release.
Sea turtle rehabilitation welfare requires balancing the welfare benefit of treatment against the stress of captivity and the welfare risks of inadequate recovery before release. Protocols have become increasingly evidence-based as satellite tracking data informs understanding of which release criteria predict successful wild survival. The welfare of individual turtles in rehabilitation — pain management, water quality, appropriate diet, and minimized human contact — directly affects their capacity for successful release. Fibropapillomatosis creates particularly difficult welfare decisions when tumors are widespread or affect vision and feeding ability. Rehabilitation centers serve as both welfare providers and living laboratories for improving release outcomes.