Are you Team Otter or Team Koi?

November 27, 2018 2:48 PM

An adorable little river otter has somehow found his way into Dr Sun Yat Sen Garden in Vancouver and he is eating all of the Koi fish. At first I was Team Otter, because hot damn is he an intelligent little bugger. It also doesn't hurt that he is cute! But now I'm Team Koi because there are only 4 left, they are extremely old and now they're being moved out of their home which is stressful. All in all, I can gladly say that I Love living in Vancouver when this has been the top story on the news for the last week!
posted by JenThePro (20 comments total)

Oh dear, I hope Madonna is ok.

I did not realize "show" koi are a thing, let alone a thing that can bring 203 million yen at auction!

I do love otters, and I am impressed by this wily guy, but I hope he is relocated soon.
posted by the primroses were over at 3:16 PM on November 27, 2018

Warlord Sun Yat Sen has a garden in Vancouver?
posted by Jessica Savitch's Coke Spoon at 3:27 PM on November 27, 2018 [2 favorites]

It's been somewhat impressive how thoroughly this ongoing event's caught the attention of Otter Twitter & Otter Instagram. (And how this shows people know me, by how many fans of my otter subscription have been sending it to me)

I've seen some people try to twist it into some sort of Coyote vs. Roadrunner Rorschach test, but mostly I'm just here for simultaneously rooting on the otter (evading experts, snagging bait from traps, what's not to love?) while recognizing the plight of the koi.
posted by CrystalDave at 3:35 PM on November 27, 2018 [4 favorites]

Mother Nature often isn't pretty. Interesting, but can disappoint you.

Somebody make that otter a samwitch!!
posted by BlueHorse at 4:09 PM on November 27, 2018

Otter: "I'm not a weasel, I'm an otter. Totally different thing."
Me: "You're in the same family."
Otter: "But look how cute I am!"
Me: "Hmm."
Otter: "Look how I can I hold things in my widdle paws."
Me: "Not buying it."
Otter: "Come on! So cute!"
Me: "Oh, all right, fine, you're cute. You can stay in the park."
Otter: "Sweet."
*pause*
Otter: "Is anyone gonna eat that?"
Me: "Eat what?"
Otter: "Nothing, nevermind."
posted by Cool Papa Bell at 4:18 PM on November 27, 2018 [11 favorites]

I feel like I'm on team both? You can't blame the otter for ottering, but I feel bad about the dead fishies. Life is cruel.
posted by ArbitraryAndCapricious at 4:20 PM on November 27, 2018 [13 favorites]

I just visited the Sun Yat Sen garden for the first time a few weeks ago, and marvelled at the beautiful (and bold) koi.

So sad! (and also feeling strangely guilty, like I jinxed the place)
posted by jb at 4:35 PM on November 27, 2018

I think we all know where my allegiance lies.

If the fish didn't want to be eaten then they shouldn't have been delicious.
posted by The otter lady at 4:49 PM on November 27, 2018 [27 favorites]

Reminds me of the New Yorker article from last year about glamorous Hollywood Puma verses Llama prey, which is really interesting.
posted by ovvl at 5:41 PM on November 27, 2018

From the koi point of view, their peaceful life has become a slasher film.
posted by betweenthebars at 6:48 PM on November 27, 2018 [6 favorites]

I am a Zen koi
The cherry blossom lands upon the pond
And ----aaaaaAAACK ITS GOT MY FINS AAAA
posted by The otter lady at 7:32 PM on November 27, 2018 [11 favorites]

I was really surprised to see this on the BBC World News page the other day.

I've been following this story on CBC Radio since there were only 5 casualties (honestly I feel like they talk about the otter every news hour). Now the otter has doubled its victim count! Yikes! I don't know why they didn't try to catch the koi sooner--I know koi are hard to catch (though apparently not by otters), but why did they wait until Saturday to start trying??--rather than thinking they could more easily trap the otter. I mean have they ever met one? The first trap they set, it just ate all the tuna and chicken and basically laughed in their faces...and then ate some more koi.

Poor Madonna :( I do hope she hasn't been eaten. That fish is older than I am!
posted by hurdy gurdy girl at 9:31 PM on November 27, 2018 [5 favorites]

ALL YOUR BASS ARE BELONG TO US
posted by The otter lady at 11:47 PM on November 27, 2018 [12 favorites]

As a chickenherd that saw my flock decimated by fucker mink asshole killers, I just cannot. Those are water minks, and the fuckers are eating our buddies. GO AWAY NOT WELCOME HERE!
posted by Meatbomb at 2:37 AM on November 28, 2018 [1 favorite]

the otter was able to evade a set trap, stealing the bait and prancing off unscathed

HELLO. One simply cannot mention a prancing otter and then not provide any documentation of said prancing.
posted by I_Love_Bananas at 5:26 AM on November 28, 2018 [7 favorites]

Otters are adorable. I wouldn't necessarily begrudge the otter one taste of high grade sushi, but destroying the whole koi population is a bit excessive. It's definitely beyond the right time to relocate him to a more salmony river.
posted by jacquilynne at 7:43 AM on November 28, 2018 [1 favorite]

They thought they had one koi, then an otter.
posted by Floydd at 11:35 AM on November 28, 2018 [2 favorites]

I feel bad for the koi, but otters gonna ott.
posted by Mr. Bad Example at 11:55 AM on November 28, 2018 [3 favorites]

relocate him to a more salmony river

I'm sure if you told him that plan and gave him taxi fare, he would be outta there in a New York minute. Because who wouldn't prefer a fresh caught salmon to an old carp?
posted by BlueHorse at 10:50 PM on November 28, 2018

Otter’s reign of terror seen as an allegory for modern-day Vancouver

I just ran across this piece on twitter, via a resident who said “I've been troubled by the coverage on the Chinatown otter because it was an excuse to mock the Dr. Sun Yat-Sen Garden, a important symbol for my community. This article explains why.”
posted by needs more cowbell at 4:26 PM on December 1, 2018 [1 favorite]