Policy

Sea Otter Populations on the Rise

BuzzFeed, fans of cute animal videos all breathe sigh of relief.

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New data show a slight increase in the number of threatened California sea otters swimming in coastal waters, a comeback made more difficult because of a recent uptick in shark attacks.

The U.S. Geological Survey on Tuesday said the sea otter population - a group nearly wiped out by fur traders about a century ago - has increased 1.5 percent since 2010.