Sea otters are a critically important keystone species in kelp forest ecosystems whose recovery from near-extinction demonstrates conservation success, but ongoing threats including pollution, prey depletion, and shark attacks create persistent welfare challenges.
Sea otters experience welfare challenges from both natural and anthropogenic sources. Shark bites, while natural, cause severe injuries and death. Oil contamination destroys the fur's insulating properties, causing rapid hypothermia and death. Orphaned pups that lose their mothers require intensive rehabilitation - they must learn foraging and grooming from surrogate otters at specialized facilities. Biotoxin poisoning from harmful algal blooms causes neurological symptoms and death. The welfare of individual sea otters is deeply connected to kelp forest ecosystem health - prey depletion from overfishing forces otters to spend more energy foraging at ecological cost.