Sadly, otters’ lives aren’t all fun and games. Habitat loss, water pollution and competition with fisheries threaten their survival. They’re captured for the exotic pet trade in some countries and several species are still trapped and hunted for their fur. With all these challenges, it’s no wonder that more than half of the world’s 13 species of otters are classified as endangered or vulnerable.
One of only a handful of non-primate species known to use tools, sea otters use stones to break open shellfish and to pry abalone off rocks—skills they teach their pups.
By keeping sea urchin populations in check, sea otters enable underwater kelp forests to thrive, providing food and cover for countless species of fish, invertebrates and marine mammals.
SeaWorld plans to end the breeding of killer whales at its facilities and will not have orcas in any new parks opened around the world. Help spread this momentous change to other aquatic parks by not attending dolphin, whale or other marine mammal shows.
