Otter 501 A True Story about Conservation of the Species

Santo Domingo, September 6, 2013

Otter 501, the story of a young girl who loves science and also falls in love with an otter,  was screened in the auditorium at Fundación Global Democracia y Desarrollo (FUNGLODE).

The film’s director, Mark Shelley, explained that the film seeks to awaken an interest among young people to conserve species in danger of extinction, such as otters, and to understand more about taking care of the environment. He also talked about the endemic species in the Dominican Republic that are in danger, such as marine turtles, manatees and the Sparrow Hawk of Hispaniola.

Mr. Shelley stessed the important role otters play in the environment as they form part of the conservation process of marine algae, which help generate oxygen in the atmosphere.

Otter 501 tells the true story of a young girl, Katie Pohfal, who is on vacation in at her uncle’s home in Monterrey, Mexico. While kayaking, she sees a little baby otter who has been separated from his family, something that happens regularly in this area.

At the end of the film, Katie and director Mark Shelley, talked with the audience, comprised mostly of students from Colegio del Apostolado, Loyola School and Our Lady of Altagracia Girls Home

Mark and Katie seemed to motivate their young viewers to take an interest in the situation and in preserving the species in the Dominican Republic as well as learning about caring for the earth and the sea, especially knowing that so much pollution on the streets ends up in the oceans and directly affects the marine species.

“It is each one of our jobs to take care of the earth and the ocean as they are connected. This is a very interesting circle and we must preserve it with care,” said Shelley.

The screening began with several messages about conservation of the species and a short film produced by FUNGLODE/GFDD that encourages viewers to create alternatives to help their communities and the planet through the philosophy of the 3 Rs (Reduce, Reuse, Recycle), with reducing being the most important.

This short film also talks about how recycling not only helps the environment but also generates direct benefits for many people as well as the creation of new companies that have had positive effects on the economy.

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