Could cat waste be killing sea otters?
A recent study that found high proportions of Toxoplasma gondii infection in California sea otters near sites where freshwater runoff empties into the ocean has raised questions about whether cat waste and other pollutants could be contaminating the coastal waters and causing otter deaths. Over the past 10 years, southern sea otters have been dying at an alarming rate, according to experts, who say emerging diseases, shark predation, pollution, and human interference are threatening the future of this ecologically important species. Researchers from the U.S. Geological Survey National Wildlife Health Center, the University of California-Davis, and the California Department of Fish and Game have teamed up to pinpoint the causes of the decline and have discovered that many sea otters are infected with disease-causing parasites, including T gondii and Sarcocystis neurona. A recent study headed by UC-Davis and CDFG researchers found that 42 percent of live otters and 62 percent of dead ott
