Floating off the south coast of Vancouver Island is a lonely-looking sea otter with a dark secret B次元官网网址� many dark secrets.

Known to the whale watching community and his fans as B次元官网网址極llieB次元官网网址�, the infamous 13-year-old sea otter has been living out his life among the kelp at Race Rocks ecological reserve for over a decade.

Initially nicknamed the B次元官网网址榣onely sea otterB次元官网网址� because of his solitary lifestyle, in more recent years he has had a rather more sinister title bestowed upon him.

Meet Ollie, the B次元官网网址淪alish Sea Serial Killer,B次元官网网址� a cute, furry sea otter with a dark side and a rap sheet longer than the B次元官网网址楥olwood crawlB次元官网网址� at rush hour.

Thought to be responsible for the deaths of around 20 river otters B次元官网网址� probably more as the marine mammal is not under 24-hour surveillance B次元官网网址� Ollie has earned himself quite the blood-thirsty reputation.

B次元官网网址淯sually when river otters are seen in the area [of Race Rocks], theyB次元官网网址檙e not seen again,B次元官网网址� says Mollie Cameron, who first encountered Ollie in 2016, working for a Sooke-based whale watching company.

And Ollie doesnB次元官网网址檛 stop at B次元官网网址渙ttercide,B次元官网网址� his list of crimes grows longer the deeper Cameron dives into his history.

As the reason behind his murderous behaviour uncovers another shocking secret, with his river otter victims showing visible signs of sexual trauma.

B次元官网网址淗eB次元官网网址檚 been seen doing nefarious things with them for days on end after they've died,B次元官网网址� said Cameron.

Showing some level of attachment to his victims, Cameron says Ollie will carry the dead body B次元官网网址渓ike a teddy bearB次元官网网址� for days after the killing.

B次元官网网址淚t almost looks like the way a sea otter mom would carry a pup,B次元官网网址� said Cameron, who is also the director of Sooke-based wildlife education organization, Wild Wise. B次元官网网址淗e'll drape them over himself while he's swimming and eating, and leave them up on rocks when he goes diving.B次元官网网址�

While they canB次元官网网址檛 be certain, Cameron and others in the whale-watching community believe the sea otter is not feeding on his victims.

B次元官网网址淭hey normally eat invertebrates like crabs, snails, urchins, clams, abalone and mussels,B次元官网网址� she said.

So why is Ollie killing and defiling river otters? Cameron says the behaviour could be attributed to his B次元官网网址榣onelyB次元官网网址� lifestyle, as he is one of only a handful of sea otters recorded this far east in the Strait of Juan de Fuca.

B次元官网网址淭he theory is that there's no females around,B次元官网网址� she says, noting there was a female sea otter and a pup spotted once in the area in 2023, who disappeared as fast as they appeared.

B次元官网网址淎nd so heB次元官网网址檚 just taking his sexual frustration out on the river otters, as that's kind of his only outlet, supposedly. ThereB次元官网网址檚 all that testosterone pumping, so heB次元官网网址檚 probably trying to satiate himself in some way.B次元官网网址�

But the behaviour is not unique to Ollie, explains Cameron. 

In the early B次元官网网址�00s, nearly 20 cases of sexual behaviour between male sea otters and juvenile harbour seals were observed in California B次元官网网址� most incidents were fatal for the seal.

Similar to the theory about OllieB次元官网网址檚 behaviour, a lack of females in the vicinity was blamed for the attacks in California.

SookeB次元官网网址檚 newest sea otter on the scene, B次元官网网址榃hiffin', , is also thought to be taking his frustrations out on other wildlife; slaying ducks in the process.

B次元官网网址淚 would assume it's maybe for the same reason that Ollie kills the river otters,B次元官网网址� said Cameron.

With the species having a reputation as playful, cute and intelligent B次元官网网址� sea otters are the only marine mammal known to use stone tools B次元官网网址� people might be surprised to hear Ollie has the upper hand on his river otter rivals,

B次元官网网址淪ea otters are the bigger of the two,B次元官网网址� says Cameron. B次元官网网址淓very animal has the potential to be dangerous B次元官网网址� sea otters are no exception to that.B次元官网网址�

Living offshore, out of sight from humans, means the B次元官网网址榗rimesB次元官网网址� of sea otters like Ollie most often go unnoticed, explains the wildlife expert. But for river otters who live closer to humans in abundance, itB次元官网网址檚 not so easy to escape public scrutiny.

B次元官网网址淪o there's higher opportunity for negative interaction with with pets and people,B次元官网网址� Cameron said.

While the likes of Ollie and Whiffin might not be a welcome sight for some of their wild neighbours, for Cameron their presence represents a slow comeback to the area for the animal listed as 'special concern' under the Species at Risk Act.

Hunted for their dense fur B次元官网网址� on one square inch of a sea otter, there can be anywhere from 500,000 to a million hair follicles B次元官网网址� sea otters were extirpated from the B.C. coast in the early 1900s.

B次元官网网址淏etween 1969 and 1972, 89 sea otters, taken from Alaska, were reintroduced to the coast of British Columbia,B次元官网网址� said Cameron.

But while the marine mammal can be seen rafting in big groups in places like Tofino, numbers remain small off the south coast of Vancouver Island.

B次元官网网址淚n the many years that I've been a whale watching captain, I think I've only seen four individuals,B次元官网网址� says Cameron. B次元官网网址淔ive, including the Whiffin Spit sea otter.B次元官网网址�

As the population shows signs of a slow increase, the biggest threat to sea otters remains the same as it did in the early 1900s: humans.

B次元官网网址淭here is quite a bit of poaching that still happens with sea otters,B次元官网网址� says Cameron. B次元官网网址淗umans, at the end of the day, are the biggest threat in general.B次元官网网址�

To help support Ollie and his fellow local sea otters, Cameron recommends keeping a safe distance of at least 100 metres at all times, encouraging the animal to stay wild and not become habituated to humans.

B次元官网网址淚tB次元官网网址檚 exciting to view animals in their wild habitats, but maintaining that respect for them while being in their homes is so important,B次元官网网址� she says.

As for Ollie's future, Cameron is curious to see how the animal might react if more sea otters were to move to the area and if it might change his savage behaviour.

But in the meantime, river otters beware B次元官网网址� you might want to give Race Rocks a wide berth for now.