WORLD OTTER DAY... doesn't inspire its own aisle of decorations down at the party store, nor is there a section lined with greeting cards at your favorite stationery shop.
And finding an otter-shaped banner to drape across the dining room table? A bit tricky, to be quite honest, for most banners say "Happy Birthday" and the like.
But we don't require greeting cards, nor banners, nor special meals at restaurants, nor songs written just for the holiday, to enjoy the water-sweet, roly-poly, whisker-rocking mammals of the not-so-deep.
You can, in fact, celebrate World Otter Day every day, but it happens to be on May 30, so best tell your favorite otter, if you have a favorite otter, that her important day has arrived. Looking for ways to help otterdom, to appreciate the claw-cute eaters of urchin and abalone, and to revel in all things to do with the populations seen off the California coast?
You can learn how to help otters via the...
INTERNATIONAL OTTER SURVIVAL FUND, an organization committed to providing information about otter conservation (and, yep, there's a sweet shop, too) or at a state-based destination like the Morro Bay National Estuary.
Of course, visiting an otter, or several otters at the Aquarium of the Pacific in Long Beach, Monterey Bay Aquarium in Monterey, or another place that provides a home and habitat for the beloved critters, is also a lovely idea.
U.S. & World
And, if you're around Monterey, you'll probably (definitely) want to check out the "Top 5 Places to See Sea Otters," which includes, yes, Cannery Row, as well as Moss Landing and Lovers Point Park and Beach.
Happy World Otter Day on May 30, dear otters of the Golden State and points beyond. Long may you enjoy a clam, and groom, and snooze, and hold the paw of another otter in your raft, all to stay close and not drift apart. We'll stay close to you, too, in spirit and support.
