Sea turtle rehabilitation centres care for injured, diseased, and stranded turtles, with welfare-centred approaches to care and evidence-based release criteria improving outcomes.
Sea turtle rehabilitation involves significant welfare challenges in providing appropriate care for animals that spend their entire lives at sea. The captive environment is inherently stressful for turtles adapted to oceanic life, and the stress of handling, veterinary procedures, and confinement must be weighed against the benefit of intervention. Welfare-centred rehabilitation minimises unnecessary handling, maintains appropriate water conditions, and provides environmental complexity where possible. Release criteria must assess genuine readiness for survival rather than simply physical recovery, as premature release of turtles not yet capable of foraging effectively extends suffering rather than ending it.