Happy World Otter Day!

World Otter Day is celebrated across the globe every year on the 26/27th May. This was established to raise awareness of the dangerous faced by our adorable aquatic friends and to educate people on how to protect their natural habitats.

This is vital in 2021 as there are 13 different species of otter throughout the world and all of them are on the red list for threatened species!

This awareness day was created by the International Otter Survival Fund (IOSF). They work with local communities around the world to educate, inform and encourage the protection and conservation of otters.

Their aim is to shine a spotlight on these adorable creatures and raise awareness of the fact that otters are hunted and persecuted in their natural habitat:

“We want people throughout the world to be as appalled by otter persecution and hunting as we are towards Tiger and Rhino hunting”.

They plan to educate people on the benefits otters have to or environment and dispel myths that are causing otters to be intentionally disturbed, persecuted and hunted.

As otters are both land and water animals, they are at the peak of the food chain. This means they are vital in maintaining the balance of ecosystems.

Without our furry friends, the aquatic life they feed on would become overpopulated meaning another source of food would suffer. This in turn could create a chain reaction that would lead to the extinction of masses of species both on water and land due to a shortage in food.

That is why the IOSF works across the globe to protect otters.

They also work closely with other organisations such as of Partnership for Action Against Wildlife Crime (PAW UK), Partnership for Action Against Wildlife Crime in Scotland (PAWS) and Wildleaks to expand their reach as much as possible.

So, all of that seems pretty serious but how can you get involved?

That’s the easy part! To get involved the IOSF are asking you to SHARE SHARE SHARE:

· Post on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, TikTok or any other social media platform all about otters,

· Use #WorldOtterDay,

· Share and tag your friends in IOSF posts to raise awareness of otter conservation,

· Encourage your friends to post,

· And finally Tag the IOSF in your posts:

Facebook - @InternationalOtterSurvivalFund Instagram - @IOSF_Otters Twitter - @IOSF