Vancouver residents have begun to declare themselves B次元官网网址淭eam OtterB次元官网网址� or B次元官网网址淭eam KoiB次元官网网址� as an elusive otter feasting on expensive fish in a tranquil garden pond continues to evade capture.
The otter mysteriously made its way to the Dr. Sun Yat-Sen Classical Chinese Garden last week and has gobbled up seven decorative koi, many of which have been there for decades.
A wildlife relocation expert and set three new traps containing rainbow trout and an oil mixture, but staff are still waiting for the critter to jump into them, the cityB次元官网网址檚 parks director said Saturday.
ItB次元官网网址檚 hard to say whether the otter has found the traps or shown any interest in them, Howard Normann said.
B次元官网网址淣ot enough to get into them, thatB次元官网网址檚 for sure.B次元官网网址�
Garden staff were discussing options Saturday to remove the koi from the pond to keep them safe, but Normann said itB次元官网网址檚 not as easy as it sounds.
B次元官网网址淭heyB次元官网网址檙e sensitive fish. ItB次元官网网址檚 pretty tricky to do,B次元官网网址� he said.
He declined to share the wildlife relocationB次元官网网址檚 expertB次元官网网址檚 name or where heB次元官网网址檚 from but Normann said staff are confident in his abilities.
B次元官网网址淗eB次元官网网址檚 an experienced otter trapper, so thatB次元官网网址檚 about as confident as we can get,B次元官网网址� he said.
ItB次元官网网址檚 still unclear how the otter found the garden, which is surrounded by busy streets, but a resident recently contacted Normann to report the critter may have been living in a nearby park between the Sun Yat-Sen garden and False Creek.
The garden has remained closed since the otter set up shop and once itB次元官网网址檚 captured the plan is to relocate it to the Fraser Valley.
In the meantime, the story has captivated people in Vancouver and beyond, with social media users joining #TeamOtter or #TeamKoi.
B次元官网网址淭his is bad for the otter, so removing him is in everyoneB次元官网网址檚 best interest,B次元官网网址� one #TeamKoi member said.
Local non-profit group Chinatown Today has even made a batch of buttons bearing adorable cartoon otters and koi and is selling the buttons for $2 each
Initially, the group planned to donate all proceeds to the classical garden, but founder Louis Lapprend said the garden has asked that the money be given to a wildlife refuge instead.
Lapprend said people appear to be fascinated by the story in part because itB次元官网网址檚 a battle of wits similar to a Wile E. Coyote and Road Runner cartoon, in which the coyote can never quite catch his prey despite trying increasingly ridiculous schemes.
B次元官网网址淚 think thereB次元官网网址檚 a comedy aspect to it, because every day the park board staff will set up new traps and every morning, they have to publicly announce the otter visited the traps, ate all the bait, and didnB次元官网网址檛 trigger anything,B次元官网网址� he said.
B次元官网网址淥n a more philosophical level, I think itB次元官网网址檚 about the way that we live in a big city, we try to control the environment, and suddenly something completely unpredictable happens and itB次元官网网址檚 nature intruding. I think it does something to our brains. It triggers a reaction which is fascinating.B次元官网网址�
Laura Kane, The Canadian Press
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