Researchers linking otter deaths to feline parasite.

Byline: V. Dion Haynes

SANTA CRUZ, Calif. _ Wick the sea otter frolicked alone in a large round tank, flapping his flipper-like feet while floating on his back and licking his dark brown fur.

Perhaps Wick is lucky. Taken into captivity by the California Department of Fish and Game after he was orphaned, Wick has escaped several illnesses that since 1998 have contributed to the deaths of about 850 sea otters off the central California coast _ including about 110 otters that have washed ashore this year.

Now a soon-to-be-released study looking into the causes of this recent decimation of the southern sea otter population has the potential to pit a beloved wild species against a beloved domesticated species in this environmentally correct and animal loving region.

Researchers are linking many of the otter deaths to a parasite commonly found in the feces of cats. As a result, some here are bracing for a potential conflict between lovers of pets and lovers of the threatened sea creature that is part of the weasel family.

Morro Bay in San Luis Obispo County has been identified by researchers as a hot spot; otters there are nine times as likely to have been exposed to the feline parasite disease as their counterparts in other areas along the coast.

"I can foresee a (conflict) between groups concerned with animal rights and cat owners," said Eric Anderson, manager of animal services in the county Sheriff's Department.