A Florida Wildlife Clinic Needs Volunteer Fishermen To Feed Otters. Will You Heed The Call?
There are three very hungry otters who would like some fish, please.
While I may not know any otters personally, I consider each and every one of them my best friend. And now, three of my young, fresh North American river otter friends in Sanibel, Florida, are in need of some friendly and generous humans who can catch some freshwater fish to feed their growing little bellies. And who wouldn't want to help?!
The Clinic for the Rehabilitation of Wildlife (CROW) is asking for a hand in feeding these furry little rascals. "With a steady supply of live fish, the otters can finely tune their hunting skills to ensure their success once released into the wild," Breanna Frankel, rehabilitation manager at CROW, said in a press release. CROW not only takes care of otters, but other wildlife in need of rehabilitation, such as migratory birds, opossums, raccoons, turtles, snakes, and more. That's a whole lot of critter wrangling.
The rehabilitation staff prefers to offer the otters fish like Mayan cichlids, non-native freshwater fish that are an invasive species in Florida. It's a two-birds-with-one-stone sort of thing; catching the cichlids helps the local ecosystem and it feeds the otters at the same time. CROW is requesting 15-20 live fish from a dedicated team of volunteers, who can commit for the next few months. Are you up for the task? Hell, let me get my fishing gear! Wait. I don't have any fishing gear.
The three orphaned otters have been at CROW since they were just a few weeks old, and under normal circumstances, would be with their mother for their entire first year. But by seven to eight months, they should be equipped with their own skills to survive on their own. If you're an interested human, you can reach out to the organization via email. If you do decide to heed the call, make sure you take a lot of pictures and share them with all of us.