Who Would Shoot A Sea Otter? People, you know?

I try to stay optimistic about the state of humanity but then someone comes along and shoots sea otters along the coast of California. I gotta say, that makes it hard to love my fellow human beings sometimes.

Here’s what we know : The bodies of three male sea otters were found between Aug. 12 and Aug. 19 near Santa Cruz. All three had been shot. The body of a fourth was found Aug. 20 and had a suspected gunshot wound.

The Center for Biological Diversity, where I work, is offering a $10,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of those responsible. Adding in the reward from other authorities, that takes the reward to $20,000.

Someone knows something, so I’m hoping they’ll step forward and provide a tip. (If you know something call the CalTIP line at (888) 334-2258 or the Fish and Wildlife Service at (650) 876-9078.)

What happened in Santa Cruz is only the latest in a long tortured history of sea otters along the West Coast. They were once hunted and trapped to the brink of extinction in the 1800s to feed to vast market for pelts. Today they are protected under the Endangered Species Act and the Marine Mammal Protection Act, as well as California state law.

These shootings are punishable by a heavy fine and jail time.

Anyone who’s seen a California sea otter knows they’re fascinating, unbelievably cute and yet another reason we all love our coast. Shooting a sea otter – especially for sport – is a despicable act.

These otters have already had deadly run-ins with gillnet fishing (though now it has been shut down in key habitats) and offshore oil and gas drilling (where they remain under threat to the very real prospect of spills and industrial chemicals).

The last thing they need is someone tracking them down with a gun and shooting them.

I wish I could say I’m totally surprised by what happened to these otters, but I’m not. Wildlife, including endangered species from wolves and grizzlies to Hawaiian monk seals – have been shot before and I worry it’ll happen again.

For now, I hope we can catch whoever killed these otters.