Trapper Called In To Take Chinatown Otter Into Custody
Trapper plans to capture animal and release it somewhere in the Fraser Valley
An expert trapper has been called in to collect the bounty on a hungry otter on the lam at Dr. Sun Yat-sen Park in downtown Vancouver.
The river otter has been chomping on expensive, beloved koi fish at the garden’s pond — likely seven in total — and has eluded Vancouver park board authorities since it was spotted during a tour last Saturday sometime after it made its way through the gates of the popular Chinatown attraction.
Near the otter’s den at the east end of the garden, staff set a trap Tuesday, baited with tuna, chicken and a trout tail, but the otter was able to dine and dash after the door failed to close.
Now, parks director Howard Normann has turned to his Plan B, heeding the advice of the provincial Ministry of Environment to bring in one of their trusted contractors who specializes in safely relocating animals such as otters, minks, raccoons and “problematic beavers,” Normann said.
“(Otters are) super cute, but they’ve got vicious little teeth and as you can see (with) the damage they’ve done to these fish, they’re not like a raccoon.”
The otter will be taken to the Fraser Valley, where it will have access to salmon in one of the Harrison, Chilliwack or Campbell rivers. Normann said the trapper will use a large, baited trap with a door triggered by a pressure plate.
“This is for the best chance for a happy life for this otter,” Normann said. “Lots of food and lots of friends.”
Normann said he’s learned a great deal about otters in recent days. In Vancouver, they live in Vanier Park, Lost Lagoon and along the Fraser River.
“This one, I’ve heard everything from ‘Why don’t you shoot the otter?’ to ‘ Why don’t you bring more koi here and just keep feeding the otter?’ and everything in between,” he said. “There’s a ‘Team Otter’ (and) there’s a ‘Team Koi.’”
But for the park board, the priority is making sure the otter is moved safely and kept away from traffic and other urban bustle.
Normann said the otter will otherwise stay until all 14 koi are gone. Draining the pond and relocating the koi could stress them and cause further damage.
Where the otter came from remains a mystery, but locals have speculated that it lived in False Creek or at Andy Livingstone Park, where a pond’s water supply was shut off more than a week ago for the winter.
Environment Canada told Normann that if they were to release the otter in Stanley Park, it would just return to Dr. Sun Yat-sen Park.
“It would probably come back right away,” he said.
Normann said he couldn’t confirm if there is a second otter at this time, but said he is hopeful that isn’t the case. Staff will be installing liners along the bottom of the park’s gates to prevent future breaches.
“This is the first time in the 34 years of the history of the garden that we’ve had an otter here on the site, so I don’t really predict that we’ll have a run-on of a bunch of otters here,” he said.
The park will remain closed to the public until the otter is moved to the Fraser Valley. The adjacent Dr. Sun Yat-sen Classical Chinese Garden remains open.