River Otter
Keynote Address
Does human proximity affect antibody prevalence in marine-foraging river otters?
Cryptosporidium and Giardia in marine-foraging river otters (Lontra canadensis) from the Puget Sound Georgia Basin Ecosystem
River and Sea Otters and Toxoplasma gondii
At first glance, domestic cats and river otters seem worlds apart. One thrives in our marine waters, the other despises water. One often snuggles by us in our homes at night and the other avoids humans when possible. Recent SeaDoc research, however, has shown that like our own lives and the health of the marine ecosystem, these two animals are probably more intimately connected than most of us realize.
River Otter Research
This has been a very busy and productive summer for the Marine Ecosystem Health Program (MEHP [now the SeaDoc Society]). Not only did we convene the First Biennial MEHP Science Symposium in September, but we also launched an exciting new wildlife health research project which we’d like to tell you a bit about. Joe is leading a long-term study of the health of river otters within the inland waters of Washington and British Columbia.