Otters cute enough to merit their own 'week'

A California sea otter swims in the Monterey Bay Aquarium’s sea otter exhibit.(Photo: The Salinas Californian)

Today is the final day of Sea Otter Awareness Week, a nationwide observance dedicated to sea otter education and conservation. Throughout the week, the Monterey Bay Aquarium has been sharing videos of Otter 696, an orphaned otter pup rescued by the aquarium off Point Lobos in February. Tens of thousands of people across the country have viewed these videos on the aquarium’s Facebook page, watching the otter drink from a bottle and eat his first solid food. One video of Otter 696 learning to swim has generated over 200,000 views.

Otters are native to the California coast, but were nearly hunted to extinction in the early 1900s. In the 1930s, a single remaining colony of about 50 otters was discovered off Big Sur. Thanks to intense conservation efforts, that colony has grown, and today over 3,000 otters can be found along California’s coast.

Although their numbers are rising, otters still face many challenges. Here are four things you can to keep California’s otters safe.

•Oil spills are one of the biggest threats facing otters today. Cut down on oil consumption by walking more and driving less, and by switching to plant-based soaps and detergents.

•Most garbage eventually makes its way into the ocean, especially in coastal areas. Make sure plastics are properly recycled.

•Avoid using flushable cat litter, and double-bag used cat litter when throwing it away. Toxoplasmosis gondii is a disease transmitted through cat feces. Although it presents no symptoms in cats, is can be fatal in otters.

•When viewing otters in the wild, keep your distance. Diving to avoid boats takes a lot of energy for otters, forcing them to spend more time eating and less time resting. This can be especially dangerous for nursing mothers.

Haven’t had your daily dose of cute? Here’s the video of Otter 696 learning how to swim:

https://www.facebook.com/montereybayaquarium/videos/10153593225187482

Otter 696

Haven’t had your daily dose of cute? Here’s the video of Otter 696 learning how to swim:

https://www.facebook.com/montereybayaquarium/videos/10153593225187482

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Otters cute enough to merit their own "week"

Group raises enough money to hire firm to determine whether aquarium can thrive in Jacksonville

The group behind the effort to bring an aquarium to downtown Jacksonville cleared its first hurdle. AquaJax raised enough money to hire a firm to do a feasibility study on the project.

George Harrell, who’s been working on the project for several years, said the $53,000 needed for the study came from Jaguars owner Shad Khan; former Jaguars owners Wayne and Delores Weaver; Gary Chartrand, executive chairman of Acosta, and his wife, Nancy; Wolfson Children’s Hospital; and the Jacksonville Zoo and Gardens.

AquaJax itself put in $5,000 from the $14,000 it received as the top vote-getter in last year’s One Spark festival.

The rest of the prize money, Harrell said, will be used for promotion, marketing and fundraising once the study is completed.

“We can’t ask someone for $1 million without them wondering if this will be money tossed away or will this even happen,” he said.

The announcement of donors came at a gathering Saturday night at The Jacksonville Landing.

Harrell said the group will hire ConsultEcon, which has done analyses and forecasts for such facilities as the Monterrey Bay Aquarium in California, the Georgia Aquarium in Atlanta and Chang Feng Ocean World in China.

That group will study the location, potential for visitors, the cost and the feasibility of the entire project.

AquaJax’s preliminary plans call for a 150,000-square-foot building along the river downtown. The Jacksonville Zoo and Gardens’ board of directors endorsed the project and wants the zoo to manage it.

One of the ideas that ConsultEcon will look at is the feasibility of a river cruise between the zoo and aquarium, Harrell said.

AquaJax had highlighted a parcel in the Shipyards property on the Northbank. Khan’s Iguana Investments Florida last week made a proposal to develop the 48-acre property. Those plans didn’t include an aquarium, but Harrell said that city officials have told him that there are spots in Metropolitan Park where the aquarium could go.

Group raises enough money to hire firm to determine whether aquarium can thrive in Jacksonville