Mother Otters Are Being Killed for Their Fur and Babies Are Left to Die

Otters desperately need your help! A petition from months ago by local trappers is now

being considered by the Vermont Fish and Wildlife Board. The problem? If the petition is accepted by the board, the trapping season for North American River Otters will be extended until March, when there is a higher risk of trapping pregnant females or females with dependent young.

According to a counter petition on Care2, this change would increase trappings by five times. For each mother that is killed, up to five of her pups will also die. Sometimes trappers set devices underwater so otters then drown inside the device as the are trying to free themselves. The only people that would benefit are trappers, who sell the pelts of the otters at auction internationally. And of course, Vermont Fish and Wildlife Department would make money off of this extension by collecting the trappers’ license money.

“There’s no biological need to kill otters. They’re killed mostly for their fur, and some are considered to be a nuisance,” said Brenna Galdenzi, president of Protect Our Wildlife (POW), a group working to reform wildlife policies in Vermont.

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