Mrs Emily O'Rourke

Overview

I am undertaking my PhD with the Cardiff University Otter Project. The project is a national research and monitoring programme, which collects otters found dead in order to study environmental health and otter ecology. My research focuses on chemical pollution of otters and our waterways. Chemical use is essential for modern life, however, through manufacture, use and disposal these chemicals are inevitably entering our environment, and some have toxic effects on wildlife and humans. As top predators, otters are vulnerable to persistent, bioaccumulative and toxic (PBT) chemicals, therefore it is important to monitor chemicals in our wildlife so we know which chemicals are bioavailable to wildlife, and can identify threats to wildlife health. But additionally, otters can act as effective ‘sentinels’ telling us what chemicals are present in the environment that may also be available to other species, including humans: the rivers where otters feed provide the water for our reservoirs. Due to dilution, chemicals in water samples are often at concentrations below the limit of detection (i.e. below a level that can be picked up by the analytical methods used). Due to bioaccumulation, concentrations in otters can be at a level which are detectable, and, due to otters being non-migratory, concentrations found in their bodies after death are reflective of the area where they lived and fed. Consequently, we can use otters to compare concentrations between different areas, and to make comparisons between years.