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SearchOtters were nearly driven to extinction in the last 100 years from hunting, habitat loss and pollution. Since then, nature conservation has enjoyed a great wave of public support and laws to outlaw toxic pollutants and to protect endangered species like otters soon followed. This included a ban on hunting otters or disturbing them in any way (as in the UK example). Slowly we've seen these measures succeeding and otters have returned to many regions they had once been driven out from. Based on all this, I'm wondering what the long term goal of otter conservation should be. When otters were still common, they used to be persecuted and everyone used to hate them because they competed with fisheries. Do we just want to go back to that status quo before we nearly drove them to extinction – including returning to hunting and trapping like before?
Will we continue in some kind of legislatively self-controlled state of reduced human activity around otter habitats?
Conservation is pretty much still riding the same wave of public support that began back then. If this wave breaks, what are we gonna do? What if people stop caring about protecting nature again because they don't feel like it's being threatened anymore? Policy will be made based on what the public wants. If politicians don't think people want to protect otters anymore, then how will they be protected?
I suppose these are questions that go beyond just otters, but I'm still curious what you guys think about these things.
I feel like, with how modern life is going, conservation is always going to be a necessary thing. Unfortunately, I don't think that modern industry and existence will allow otters, or most animals for that matter, to return to their previous existences, and conservation is going to need to exist to protect otters from evil men in top hats
Yep. Otters are still being poisoned to this day. As they once were almost driven to extinction by pesticides, now rodenticides in the water are literally causing otters to bleed to death internally.
https://archive.ph/9QsMG
The political and legislative efforts to combat pollution have evidently only succeeded in somewhat mitigating and reducing the effects, and never to address the cause. Reform can never be a solution to the suffering industrial society has imposed on the planet. It has pumped the water, ground and air full of chemicals, metals, plastics, radiation, carcinogens, genetic manipulation, and every dark and wicked concoction thought up in the depths of the laboratories that serve the vain economic interests of man. We don't even realize the full extent of the consequences this system is having yet. Plants and animals are now feeling the full force of it, but in the end it will end up in our food, our own bodies. Yes, humans have plastic in our blood now too.
The law doesn't make a difference, notice how the deadly poisoning of the earth has not stopped, it only continues in countries where regulation isn't as strict. Just look up where the most polluted rivers are today. Where regulation is stricter it finds ever new ways to manifest itself that can only be retroactively addressed when the damage is already done.
Is there any escape? Is there even any way that the next 100 years can pass by without worldwide catastrophe the extent of which we have never imagined?
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Otter fur is really interesting, it's so dense that it's waterproof and very warm. here's an infographic from Cardiff University. Also I hadn't heard about Royal Otters before, otters having white spots is apparently so rare that they're especially majestic.
Male otters have moustaches. Every time I learn something new about otters they just keep getting better.
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Love the way otter fur looks
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Let's talk about creating a logo for the site. We have to be recognized.
Maybe some banners are in order, too.
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I tried something else. How's this?
The inline style makes it look more like a banner than a logo, but it does look good.
Yes! it looks sharper, if that makes sense. More defined.
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I like this.
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I made a banner with that Giant Otter video anon posted here a while ago.
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I don't know where to put the otter relative to the text, but having an outline around the speech bubble also looks quite alright in my opinion.
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Dogs and monkeys have been sent to space. What about otters? I think they'd make brilliant astronotts.
Also, can otters swim in zero gravity? And if water were found on mars, could otters live there?
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I'm imagining otters with fur thick enough to work as a space suit
They can trap air under the outer layer of fur, so in theory it could work.
It would need to be a hairy nosed otter so he can breathe the air under his nose hairs
"The otter's charm, so little known
Holds no ceptre, has no throne
Lives in groups or on his own
Relishing his dearest stone.
Dirt upon which otter rests,
In a coat of comfort drest,
The big wide river makes him guest,
Its wealth upon the beast bequests.
Though in the waves at home is he,
and on the surface equally,
In either must he cease to be,
Split half and half, the otter's see.
Hunger drives him to the depths
where Lord Above grants him a fest,
must yet come up to catch his breath,
must climb back out, of strength bereft.
His charm is in simplicity,
and aptitude and mystery.
Not status or celebrity,
not profit or utility.
...
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Like a blazing torch go forth
Oh otter spotter volunteers
Go where no one else will go
See what no one else can see
The queen of rivers has returned
The page has turned and spring appeared
Her home is graced by silent tread
Her kingdom welcomes her again
Be the bearer of good news
Be the light that lights our hearts
For you no water is to deep
For you no riverbank to steep
Be as an otter
Unheard, unseen
Be as an otter
Swim up the stream
Be as an otter
Just for a day
Be as an otter
Enjoy the play
Be as an otter
Enjoy the fun
Be as an otter
Never outdone
Be as an otter
Sharp claws and teeth
Be as an otter
No time for peace
Be as an otter
Get hungry and slay
Be as an otter
Devour your prey
...
Mustelid, animal of such beauty
Diving, entry into the water
The fish swims away, hopelessly
Trying to preserve its life
Alas, a useless goal
Ripping and tearing
The otter hunts
Comes to land
Lies down
Eats
We're coming home
coming home
coming home to otter lands
where we once throned
we once throned
we once throned and tasted clams
We advance
we advance
we advance with every step
and build our holts
build our holts
build or holts like architects
What we gained
what we gained
what we gained we won't desert
we'll maintain
we'll maintain
we'll maintain our habitat
otters in my head, otters on my mind
otters every day and otters every night
otters at the office, otters in the car
otters in the home, otters near and far
otters when I sleep, otters when I eat
otters when I cook and otters when I clean
otters in the morning, otters before bed
otters in my attic and otters in my shed
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https://otterwiki.net/ is now live!
Anyone can contribute to this project. Let's make it a great resource for learning about otters.
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I imagine that it would be hard to get any breeding programs going for those otters whose noses are hairier than average without at least two in captivity. That being said, there are probably attempts to get some program of that sort started
Not sure how recent that information is. Maybe there are more otters with a bit of hair on their nose in captivity now.
Page for genus Lutra
is up.
https://otterwiki.net/wiki/Lutra
Hoping to complete these species' articles soon.
https://otterwiki.net/wiki/Japanese_Otter
Started the Japanese otter page!
What surprised me about this is that the last sighting was in 1979, but apparently they found spraint in 1999 so they're still looking for it, despite it officially being declared extinct. Sightings were also super rare before that, so we still aren't giving up.
Still need to expand sections on distribution, habitat and behavior btw.
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How loving and compassionate can otters be?
Otters live in loving families, they care for each other more than we do I'd even say.
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If you really want to see some loving otts, just look at sea otter mothers and pups
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So true! There's no love like mother's love.
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Otter mums are the best! Maybe that's why otters are so amazing, because they have such wonderful parents.
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Otters' love is unconditional
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>Rocky, a male North American river otter at the Oklahoma City Zoo and Botanical Garden, died unexpectedly on Thursday, April 21, while undergoing a routine veterinary procedure at the Joan Kirkpatrick Animal Hospital. During the procedure, Rocky, 7, went into cardiac arrest and despite emergency response efforts performed by the OKC Zoo’s veterinary care team, he did not survive.
>A popular resident at the Zoo’s Oklahoma Trails habitat, Rocky brought many smiles to guests’ faces as they watched him swimming at his habitat often rolling and flipping through the water. He will be missed by his caretakers and Zoo fans. Rocky arrived at the Zoo in 2016 from Miller Park Zoo, Bloomington, Illinois.
>📷: Andrea JohnsonRIP Rocky :(
Otters come, otters go...
RIP Rocky, the world is all the lesser for his loss.
But they are always present in our hearts
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They've got a new otter! her name is Hazel and she's one year old.
Long live Hazel!
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Otters are really cute, but I don't think they're the cutest. They got an adorable face, but their feet always look ugly. Any other otter enjoyers feel grossed out by their feet? I feel like other animals definitely beat otters on the cuteness scale.
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Based as fuck lol
Otter feet have to look like this. If they didn't, otters wouldn't survive so well.
True but the point is otter feet aren't cute. With all I've done for otters over the years, I think I can at least say otter feet are ugly lol.
maybe they're not cute but they're not ugly either. They're cool.
>With all I've done for otters over the years, I think I can at least say otter feet are ugly lol.That not how it works
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Are different types of otters friends with each other? For instance, if a Eurasian and a Marine otter met one another, would they be nice to one another?
Interesting question, depends on the mood I suppose. If a Eurasian and a Marine met on the beach, I think they would play. But only if they don't have a territory or a female to defend.
Interestingly the Marine otter is longer than the Eurasian otter, but the Eurasian is heavier. Can't be easily said who would win the play wrestling match.
so much depends
upon
the mood of
otters
soaked with clear
water
beside each other
playing
Here's a shitty adaptation of "The Red Wheelbarrow" made to fit otters
Very nice anon