A caring public is vital to saving the Southern Sea Otter!

You may think to yourself, "It's great that people out there are taking action to save this important and adorable creature, but I just wish I could do something too." Well I'm here to tell you that you can! We can help save the Southern Sea Otter together by paying close attention to our everyday activities. Undeniably, the biggest threat to sea otters is land based pollution, but the good thing about this is that we can directly control HOW MUCH pollution we create.  

As you may have read on the page covering the Southern Sea Otters' Listing Information, oil pollution is a very serious threat to sea otter health and the health of their ecosystems. However, we can help prevent oil pollution by keeping oil or anti-freeze out of storm drains that lead to the ocean by not letting it spill on the ground. Everyday transportation with cars also relies heavily on the use of oil, so it would be beneficial to recycle used motor oil and cut down on oil consumption and oil-based products. As an alternative, try to use public transportation, walk, bike, or join a carpool! 

As you may have learned already, household chemicals and pet waste are some of the other pollutants that are harmful to sea otters and other marine life. To combat the pollution of chemical pollutants, take a second look at everything you put down your drain, since most of this waste makes its way back to rivers, streams, and the ocean. Always make sure that you dispose of hazardous waste properly! Additionally, as you may now know, cat feces contain a very toxic and dangerous parasite called Toxoplasma Gondii that can not be killed by the sewage treatment plants it passes through. And it is this parasite that has proven to be lethal for sea otters. Therefore, the solution to combat this is actually quite simple. Just clean up after your pets and throw away their feces in trash cans so that it cannot contaminate coastal waters and kill off our cute marine companions!