Zoo Educator
World Otter Day, which takes place annually on the last Wednesday of May, is a day which brings about awareness to different otter species and the threats they face. There are a total of thirteen different otter species, twelve of which are in decline. Their species status is as follows:
Endangered Sea Otters
- Marine Otter
- Giant Otter
- Southern River Otter
- Hairy Nosed Otter
Vulnerable
- Asian Small-Clawed Otter
- Smooth Coated Otter
Near Threatened
- Eurasian Otter
- African Clawless Otter
- Spotted Necked Otter
- Congo Clawless Otter
- Neotropical Otter
Least Concern
- North American River Otter (the only otter species at Connecticut’s Beardsley Zoo)
While twelve out of the thirteen species are in decline, all otters have strict importance to the environment, mainly because they are an indicator species. An indicator species signifies the state of the ecosystem, meaning that if these otter species are in decline, the current state of the environment is poor [1].
Threats to otters can include pollution, habitat loss, human disturbance, crossing roads, trapping, competition with fisheries, and illegal trade of fur and pelts [2].
Here at the zoo, we have North American River Otters, which may be of least concern, but face the same threats and have the same importance as their otter counterparts. You can see Tahu, who just became a mom at the end of March, and her pups next to the wetland aviary or potentially spot them on the Otter Cam.
[1]-https://wwf.panda.org/discover/our_focus/wildlife_practice/flagship_keystone_indicator_definition/
[2]-https://www.otter.org/Public/AboutOtters_WhyAreOttersSoImportant.aspx
Photo Credit: Photo Credit- Elaine Dyer