Wildlife Welfare

Wild Puffin Breeding Welfare on UK Islands

The welfare challenges facing Atlantic puffins during breeding on UK island colonies.

Key Facts

Puffin colonies are experiencing reduced breeding success linked to sand eel decline caused by climate change
Chick starvation occurs when parents cannot find sufficient sand eels within foraging range of the colony
Predation by great black-backed gulls and rats is a significant welfare pressure on puffin colonies
Rat eradication programmes on islands have produced dramatic breeding success improvements

Welfare Considerations

Puffin chick starvation represents significant welfare suffering at scale across multiple UK colonies. While climate-driven sand eel decline is the primary driver, direct actions including rat eradication and marine protected areas around colonies can reduce welfare harm substantially.

What You Can Do

Support RSPB and Seabird Recovery Programme island conservation work
Choose sustainably certified seafood to support sand eel prey recovery
Donate to invasive species eradication programmes on seabird colonies