Did you know Dame Judi Dench is a great fan of otters? So much so that she wrote the foreword to my book Sea Otters: A Survival Story, with David Mills, MBE, owner and founder of the British Wildlife Centre.
From Shakespearean theatre to comedies, Dame Judi Dench is simply one of the most extraordinary actors in the world. She is also an incredibly caring person for so many causes, including conservation. I am honoured that she and David Mills are a part of my book.
Sea Otters: A Survival Story, published by Orca Book Publishers, has just been released at the end of April 2020. The book is my second in the Orca Wild series that travels over land, underwater and through the air to meet the animals who live in our world.
James Bond’s ex-boss ‘M’ has a true passion for otters that began in the very early seventies. There are 13 otter species in the world. Many of them are endangered. The first otter species that Judi Dench ever encountered was the Asian small-clawed otter, while on tour in Australia.
Much later, while filming in Vancouver, she had an opportunity to visit the Vancouver Aquarium where she saw the resident sea otters, which are larger than their Asian cousins. “For hours, it seemed, I watched enthralled as two of them floated on their backs, arms linked, while one slept and the other steered and kept watch—an unforgettable experience,” she writes in the foreword.
Judi Dench later visited the British Wildlife Centre founded in 1997 by David Mills and saw the Eurasian otter there. Inspired by pioneering conservationists, Gerald Durrell and Sir Peter Scott, David Mills gave up his occupation as a dairy farmer and pursued his dream of starting his own wildlife centre. He decided to specialise in British wildlife as he felt that there was a need to educate the public about native species and the challenges they face living in the wild in Britain today.
Like sea otters, the European otters that can be seen at the British Wildlife Centre were once on the brink of extinction in Britain. Through a national programme of cleaning up polluted waterways, restoring habitat and banning hunting, coupled with a captive breeding and release programme, otters are now coming back in Europe — just like sea otters are coming back in the North Pacific after being hunted to near extinction.
“Although European river otters and sea otters are quite different, they share a similar story: with hope, care and the persistence of people who have not given up in different parts of the world, these two species have been saved from extinction,” David Mills writes in the foreword to Sea Otters: A Survival Story.
The British Wildlife Centre is committed to conservation through education, focusing on teaching children to appreciate and respect Britain’s own native wild species, so that they may develop a life-long interest in their protection and survival.
I am delighted that Judi Dench and David Mills have such a keen interest in helping educate young people about the natural world. I share their passion and commitment.
Sea Otters: A Survival Story can be purchased in print or ebook from Orca Books’ website or any of your favourite bookseller. To learn more about the book, please visit my Books page.
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If you have questions about the book or sea otters, please get in touch! I regularly share facts and answer questions that come up during my school presentations and public talks on my instagram page.
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