Sea otters are keystone species whose welfare and conservation are intertwined with the health of kelp forest ecosystems along the Pacific Coast.
Wild sea otters face welfare threats from multiple sources across their coastal range. Toxoplasma gondii, which enters the marine environment through cat feces and urban runoff, causes neurological disease and death in otters - a direct connection between terrestrial pet management and marine animal welfare. Oil spill contamination destroys fur insulation causing hypothermia and death through the same mechanism that makes otters vulnerable - their fur-based insulation rather than blubber. Shark predation causes acute traumatic injury. Harmful algal bloom toxins cause neurological disease during events of increasing frequency. Sea otter rehabilitation programs address individual welfare after stranding events, while conservation of kelp forest habitat protects the ecosystem that supports healthy otter populations.