Mały zwierzak z wąsami, jak u profesora, pływa na grzbiecie, trzymając na brzuchu kamień. Rozkłada muszelkę, mruga z przyjemności. Wydra. Ktoś ją nazywa rynnym wilkiem, ktoś — wodnym kotem. Jest nieśmiała, mądra, rozrywkowa i bardzo ważna dla ekologii. Ma swoje święto — Światowy Dzień Wydry. Obchodzą go w ostatnią środę maja. W 2026 roku — 27 maja. Dowiedzmy się, dlaczego wydry potrzebują uwagi i ochrony, czym są unikalne i jak możemy im pomóc.
Wydra — drapieżne ssak z rodziny kunończych. Na świecie jest 13 gatunków. Najbardziej znana — ruczaj, żyje w Europie, Azji, Północnej Afryce. Ma długie giętkie ciało (do 1 metra), krótkie nogi z pływakami, potężny ogon (jak ster), gęsty futerko, które nie przepuszcza wody. Kolor — brązowy, brzuch jasny. Waga — od 5 do 15 kg.
W Ameryce Północnej żyje kanadyjska wydra, większa (do 140 cm, 20 kg). W Ameryce Południowej — gigantyczna wydra (do 2 metrów, 30 kg), rzadka i wpisana na Czerwoną Księgę. W Azji — gładkołuska wydra, prawie nie ma podszőrstka. Oddzielnie — morska wydra (kalan), która żyje w Pacyfiku i nie wychodzi na ląd.
W Rosji ruczaj spotyka się prawie wszędzie, oprócz Wyspy Północnej. Lubi czyste rzeki, jeziora, strumienie z leśnymi brzegami. Z powodu zanieczyszczenia wody wydra zniknęła z wielu miejsc, ale tam, gdzie rzeki oczyszczono, wraca.
Wydra — doskonały pływak. Może nurkować na głębokość do 6 metrów, utrzymywać oddech przez 4 minuty. Pod wodą zamyka uszy i nozdrza. Pływa szybciej niż 10 km/h. Na lądzie wygląda nieporęcznie, ale może przebiec w ciągu dnia do 20 km w poszukiwaniu pożywienia.
Poluje głównie na ryby (pstrąg, leszcz, okoń), żaby, kraby, wodne myszy. W ciągu dnia zjada 1-2 kg jedzenia. Nie je śmieci — tylko świeże. Jeśli ryba jest chora, wydra ją ignoruje. Dlatego wydra jest bioindykatorym: jeśli żyje w rzece, oznacza to, że woda jest czysta.
Ma terytorialny. Jedna wydra kontroluje odcinek rzeki długości 2-10 km. Wyznacza granice wydziorem (które pachną rybą, jaśminem i muskiem). Nie wpuszcza obcych, ale czasami gra z sąsiadami.
Wydry są bardzo rozrywkowe. Lubią schodzić z gliniastych brzegów do wody, jeździć na plecach, gonić się nawzajem. Grają nawet w dorosłym wieku. Zimą jeżdżą na lodowych górkach. Zoologowie nazywają to «wydrzą radością».
The number of otters has sharply decreased in the 20th century. Causes: hunting (the fur is highly valued), river pollution (pesticides, heavy metals), drainage of bogs, deforestation along the banks. In the 1950s, the otter almost disappeared in Europe. The population in Russia also decreased, but it is now recovering.
The second reason is death in fishing nets and traps. The otter gets tangled and drowns. The third reason is the reduction of the food base due to overfishing. The fourth reason is poaching: the skin of the otter is worth up to 50 thousand rubles on the black market.
World Otter Day was established to draw attention to the problem. It has been celebrated since 2014 on the initiative of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). The goal is to tell people about the importance of otters for ecosystems and to ask not to kill them.
In Russia: zoos hold lectures and quests. In the Moscow Zoo, otters are fed live fish on this day so that visitors can see them hunt. In the St. Petersburg Zoo — children's drawing contest “My favorite otter”.
In Europe: otters are counted on rivers. Volunteers look for traces, excrement, take photos. Data are transmitted to scientists. In the UK, there is an open day at otter rescue stations (where they treat injured and release them into nature).
In the US: a flash mob #OtterDay is launched on World Otter Day. People post photos with toy otters, videos from zoos, funny facts. In Japan: prayers are said in temples for the purity of rivers, and then fry are released into rivers where otters live.
On the Internet: live broadcasts from otter enclosures are conducted. The most popular are from the Osaka Aquarium (Japan) and the Chester Zoo (UK). Otters there are stars of YouTube.
Simple steps. Do not throw trash into rivers and lakes. Especially dangerous are batteries, plastic, oil. Do not wash your car by the river. Maintain the cleanliness of the banks — participate in clean-up days.
If you are a fisherman, do not set nets in places where otters live. If you catch one by accident, carefully release it. Do not kill! This species is under threat. Do not buy otter fur products. A real otter coat is poaching. Synthetics keep warm just as well.
Support organizations that save wild animals — you can even transfer 100 rubles. Plant trees along the river — this will strengthen the bank and provide shelter for the otter. Tell friends about World Otter Day — the more people know, the greater the chance of saving the animal.
The otter has the densest fur in the world — up to 80,000 hairs per square centimeter. For comparison, humans have 200. Therefore, the otter does not get wet.
The otter uses stones as tools. It puts a stone on its stomach and beats on it with a shell. It carries stones in the folds of its skin. One stone can serve for years.
Otters sleep floating on their backs. Often they hold their paws to not drift away from each other. This is how couples and families sleep.
Otter cubs cannot swim at birth. Their mother teaches them, throwing them into the water and catching them. In 2 months they are already like fish.
Otters make up to 20 sounds: whistling, chirping, hissing, grunting, alarm call, mating call.
In captivity, otters live up to 20 years, in the wild — 10-12.
In Celtic mythology, the otter is a guide to the world of spirits. It was believed that anyone who killed an otter was doomed to misfortune. In Scandinavian sagas, the otter is the embodiment of the god Loki (he could transform into an otter). In India, the otter is one of the forms of the god Vishnu.
In Russian fairy tales, the otter almost does not appear. There is a saying: “Cunning as an otter”. Or “The otter does not muddy the water, it is clean itself”. Among the Siberian peoples, the otter is a totemic animal. It was forbidden to kill it without need.
In modern culture: the otter is a hero of cartoons (for example, “Eragon”, “Princess Mononoke”, the series “Zoo City”). In Japan, otters are characters of manga and anime. On the Internet, otters with stones on their stomachs are a popular meme.
In sculpture: there are monuments to otters in Voronezh (on the riverbank), Riga (by the waterfall), London (in the park).
Conflict: the otter may come to fish farms and eat fry. Farmers crush otters. Solution: install underground fences (otters dig), use electronic repellents. Another conflict: otters dig burrows in the banks, may erode embankments. But this happens rarely.
Neighbors: in Europe, otters come to cities if there is clean water. In Munich, otters live right in the city limits — in the English Garden. Tourists take photos of them. In Moscow, otters were seen in Bитцевском forest and on the Sходня river. This means that the water is getting cleaner.
The main thing is not to tame a wild otter. It is not a cat. It can bite, cause injury. Rabies infection is possible (rare, but there is). Enjoy it from a distance.
If you find an otter in the city or forest and it looks sick (apathetic, not afraid of people, with blood), do not touch! Call the wildlife rescue center (numbers are available on the Internet). If it has a broken leg or is tangled in nets, carefully, in gloves, put it in a box and take it to a veterinarian.
Do not try to warm it up, feed it, treat it yourself. The otter is a stress animal. It may die of fear. Do not give it to a zoo without permission — it is already crowded there. The best option is a rehabilitation center.
If you find a cub (small, blind) — the mother is nearby. Do not take it. Go away and wait. The mother will come. If the cub cries for more than 2 hours, call the experts.
The otter is the top of the food chain in the river. It regulates the number of fish by eating the weak and sick. It does not allow crabs and frogs to breed until epidemics. Thanks to the otter, the river is healthy. If the otter disappears, there will be a imbalance, the river will become sick, overgrown with algae, acidify.
The otter is a living indicator of clean water. If there is one, you can drink the water without fear. If there is none, you should sound the alarm. World Otter Day is not about the little animal. It's about us. Can we preserve nature so that otters come back? So that our children can see how she catches fish and plays at sunset? Think about it on May 27. And if you decide, help. At least do not throw trash. The otter will thank you. Quietly, because it cannot speak. But you will understand.
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