The ‘Otter’ Side of Conservation

Children from rural areas, who live close to some of India’s most charismatic and unique wildlife, know little about what is immediately around them. Their curious minds buzz with questions about what animals look like, where they live, or how they find food. Sadly, the lack of access to fun, engaging material keeps this information from them. We want to bring the fascinating world of wild animals to these young minds through children’s books that talk about animal behaviour! For the next book in this series, we have chosen the playful, intelligent, agile, and arguably, the most adorable creature on this planet – the otter. 

Otters are a ‘Keystone Species’ that play an important role in ecological and freshwater health. However, a lesser-known and elusive species, the otter faces an extremely uncertain future. Poaching, illegal trade, and habitat loss threaten their survival. Public awareness about this sentinel species also seems to be low.

Using a fun narrative enhanced by vibrant illustrations, this project aims to bring awareness about otters, especially targeting the budding minds who live in close proximity to these wondrous creatures. We hope to foster empathy and inspire involvement in the conservation of these intelligent animals.

The book will be published in four languages (English, Kannada, Hindi, and Marathi) and distributed to schools in rural India through our environmental education program – Wild Shaale. We hope to provide books to every child that engages with our interactive program – 55,000 kids from 1,100 schools. By learning about the otters that these children share the world with, we hope to integrate conservation to the very fibre of their daily lives.