Anthropogenic noise from shipping, industry, and traffic disrupts animal communication, navigation, and behavior. Noise pollution is an underrecognized wildlife welfare threat affecting billions of animals.
Noise pollution welfare is one of the most pervasive yet invisible threats to wildlife. Animals rely on acoustic information for communication, predator detection, prey location, and navigation. Anthropogenic noise that overlaps with these biological signals forces animals to compete acoustically, move to quieter areas, or experience chronic stress from environmental unpredictability. The welfare harms range from acute - sonar-induced disorientation causing stranding deaths - to chronic, such as the elevated cortisol documented in birds nesting near traffic. Addressing noise pollution requires regulations on shipping traffic noise, industrial noise near sensitive habitats, and urban planning that creates quiet zones for wildlife.