Six koi killed in otter onslaught at Dr. Sun Yat-Sen Garden
Posted November 2, 2019 11:34 am.
Last Updated November 3, 2019 8:37 am.
This article is more than 5 years old.
VANCOUVER (NEWS 1130) – It’s back!
Dr. Sun Yat-Sen Garden in Vancouver’s Chinatown is once again dealing with an otter.
Six koi have been killed since the crafty carnivore made its way into the garden on Tuesday.
It was spotted Wednesday morning along the pond with the carcasses of three koi.
Six large koi and 74 small koi were removed from the pond Saturday and are being temporarily housed off-site. The Park Board says it expects to refill the pond within the next 48 hours and re-open the garden.
The otter was captured on security cameras Saturday.
According to Vancouver’s director of parks, Howard Norman, the otter’s garden visits may be an annual occurrence.
“Otters are pretty clever,” he says.
“We will have to rethink how long we leave the koi in the pond.”
Last year, an otter made its way into the garden, wreaking havoc and generating a lot of public attention. That otter killed 11 koi and sparked #OtterWatch2018, with some even taking sides — #TeamOtter or #TeamKoi.
Following that incident, the Park Board installed new features at the garden to prevent an otter from getting in again, including doors that automatically close and fortified gates.
It’s not clear if the otter spotted on Wednesday is the same one that was on the loose last year.
Koi are valuable and significant in Chinese culture. They have symbolic representations that tie to things that are related to perseverance, transformation, and happiness.
