‘Audacious’ otter invades koi pond
Wildlife relocation expert will trap animal who ate several garden fish, some decades old
A predator like no other, perhaps, it is a creature that goes by many names, dwells in dark hiding places during the day, and surfaces only to feed upon the pride and joy of one of Vancouver’s beloved Chinatown destinations.
Where last week there were 12 colourful koi swimming peacefully in the Sun-Yat-Sen Classical Chinese garden pond — insulated, they may have thought, from the risks of the outside world — Friday only three remained. Two could be spotted swimming sideby-side, leaving barely any wake that could alert a fuzzy monster to their presence.
The Chinatown otter may have dwelt just below them. Hungry. Waiting. Congratulating itself for the victorious capture and consumption of fish just like them.
As it stands, no human or fish alive knows for certain where the river otter currently dwells, and whether it will surface of its own volition any time soon.
But officials are determined to catch and eject the creature who, for about a week, has been terrorizing the pond and evading capture.
The Vancouver Park Board Tuesday made a bid to capture the otter, who some on Twitter have attempted to name “Otter von Bismark” or “Harry Otter.” But the chicken-baited cage did not entice it.
On Friday, as the otter continued to roam free, a wildlife relocation expert was called in, with the goal of trapping the otter and moving it to Fraser Valley.
The park board said that’s the “best habitat” for the otter. It has the additional benefit of being far away from the remaining koi fish.
The Chinatown otter saga has attract- ed a different kind of investigator. Citizen detectives visited the garden trying to catch a glimpse of the creature that’s been wrecking havoc there.
“They set up a trap for it, but they’ll never get it out, it’s too smart,” said Paul Oberski, a garden visitor who arrived with his camcorder in hand to try to spot the rascal who, in his view, risked it all for a tremendous reward.
“It’s just the audacity of it. This is like a five-star resort for an otter.”
Those following the otter’s dramatic story remotely use the hashtag #OtterWatch2018 on Twitter. In the watching, people are sorting themselves into opposing sides. There’s team otter, and team koi. They don’t overlap.
The loss of the Sun-Yat-Sen garden koi, some of whom had been alive for decades, was a serious blow for some garden visitors.
Egan Davis, a horticulture instructor at UBC, brought his class to the garden Friday for a tour he had arranged in August.
The group spotted the otter at the beginning of the tour, pooping on the side of the pond. It was a surprising and amusing moment for the class, but Davis said the presence of the otter isn’t all laughs.
“It’s devastating,” he said, that the otter has eaten so many koi. “I read about it in the news and I find it really difficult. I hope it develops a taste for something else.”