Rising demand for cute selfies puts wild otters at risk

GENEVA - Social media users are fueling a burgeoning appetite for acquiring otters and other endangered animals as pets, conservationists say, warning the trend could push species toward extinction.

Popular Instagrammers who post selfies with their pet otters may simply be seeking to warm the hearts of their up to hundreds of thousands of followers, but animal protection groups say the trend is posing an existential threat to the silky mammal.

"The illegal trade in otters has suddenly increased exponentially," said Nicole Duplaix, who co-chairs the Otter Specialist Group at the International Union for Conservation of Nature.