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A black and white image of an otter swimming in an open river, holding a piece of fish. Text reads World Otter Day with bold typography. Image credit Aaron Gekowski.

World Otter Day

Animal Awareness Days

Celebrate World Otter Day by learning more about these fascinating creatures, the threats they face, and what you can do to help them.

About World Otter Day

If you've not heard about World Otter Day before, here's everything you need to know.

When is World Otter Day?

World Otter Day (also known as Otter Day or International Otter Day) is held on the last Wednesday in May each year.

What is World Otter Day?

World Otter Day is a chance to draw attention to otters, celebrate their unique characteristics, and generate support for their conservation. It's also a perfect opportunity to reflect on the plight of otters who are cruelly kept as exotic pets.

7 facts about otters

  1. Sea otters eat 25% of their body weight in food every day. They like to eat sea urchins, crabs, mussels, and clams, cleverly cracking their shells using rocks.
  2. Otters are mammals with long, streamlined bodies and webbed feet. They can close their ears and nostrils while underwater, features that make them exceptional swimmers.
  3. Otters are highly social creatures that live in large family groups of up to 20 individuals. You can sometimes see sea otters cuddling and holding hands while they sleep, so they don't drift apart in the ocean.
  4. Otters are sentient beings and communicate using vocalisations. They scream, coo, whine, whistle, growl, and snarl.
  5. Otters mark their territory with scent markings, created by a scent gland at the base of their tails. The scent of an individual otter is as unique as a human fingerprint.
  6. In Southeast Asia, there is a growing demand for otters as exotic pets. Cubs are snatched from their parents in the wild, with protective parents being shot or electrocuted.
  7. There are dozens of animal cafes featuring otters in Japan. Here, customers can interact with the otters with little regard for the animal's welfare.

Otters are wild animals, not pets

Many otter species - including the sea otter, the giant otter, and the marine otter - are endangered. They face a number of threats to their survival.

In the wild, otter habitats are impacted by oil spills, water pollution, and climate change. Habitats are also being degraded and fragmented due to urbanisation.

However, one of the biggest threats to otters is the exotic pet trade. They are particularly popular as pets in Southeast Asia - a trend that is further fuelled by social media. Content creators are exploiting wild animals, like otters, in a bid to create viral video content.

Behind the scenes, these animals are treated cruelly and kept in inadequate homes where there is no way to replicate the space, freedom, and nutrition that otters would enjoy in the wild.

 

How to celebrate World Otter Day

To celebrate World Otter Day, do your bit to protect these incredible mammals. Here’s what you can do:

  • Be mindful that using otters for entertainment or keeping an otter pet is cruel.
  • Report social media content that includes otters. If there is no option for "animal cruelty", then select the closest category.
  • Don't engage with social posts that feature otters in a way that the social algorithm can view as positive. Don’t comment, like, react, share, or tag others. 
  • Create your own post or share ours to highlight this issue without raising the profile of content creators who are fuelling the abuse of otters.
  • Join our campaigns to push organisations and governments to safeguard animals and their habitats.
  • Sign up for our newsletter to discover more ways you can help otters and other wildlife.

Many animals need your help. Find out about other animal awareness days.

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Otter FAQS

Can you have an otter as a pet?

An otter is a wild animal and it is cruel to keep a wild animal as a pet.

Whether an otter has been taken from the wild or has been bred in captivity, it is impossible for pet owners to meet their needs properly.

Where to see otters

Otters belong in the wild, in aquatic habitats like rivers, lakes, and oceans. If you see an otter in the wild, keep your distance so as not to disturb them.

Avoid going to places that keep otters in captivity and those that allow human interaction. These facilities are cruel and should be boycotted.

How many fish do otters eat in a day?

Otters eat fish, crustaceans, small birds, and eggs. River otters eat 15% to 20% of their total body weight every day. Sea otters eat more - around 25% to 30% of their body weight. This means a large male could eat as much as 11 kilograms of food in a day. 

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