Are you Team Otter or Team Koi? Vancouverites divided on wildlife saga

As the wildlife saga of the year ramps up in Chinatown, more and more Vancouverites are taking note of a cunning otter and a pond of Koi at the Sun Yat-Sen Classical Chinese Garden.

Since arriving at the Garden’s pond on Sunday, November 17, both the otter and koi have blown up in popularity and across social media.

A pair of Twitter pages have been created by anonymous Vancouverites, dubbed the “Chinatown Otter” and the “Chinatown Koi.”

Hi! Nice to meet you.
You can come visit. Don’t touch the koi. They’re mine.#ChinatownYVR #Otterwatch2018 pic.twitter.com/Lm1tkGpIOo

— Chinatown Otter (@ChinatownOtter) November 22, 2018

Took us a few days to get our hands on a phone after @ChinatownOtter took one of us down and stole his phone. Come on back Otter, we dare you. pic.twitter.com/fw1exhOcmg

— Chinatown Koi (@ChinatownKoi) November 23, 2018

The hashtag #Otterwatch2018 has also been trending in Metro Vancouver, with more and more locals voicing their opinions.

The otter running around Vancouver eating all the koi fish is god tier comedy and nobody can convince me otherwise #Otterwatch2018

— Mike Stewart (@m_stew151) November 23, 2018

I have not picked a side in the great Otter vs Koi debate. #Vancouver hit me up with your best arguments for which side to chose #chinatownotter #otterwatch2018 #vanpoli

— Scott de Lange Boom (@Scott_dLB) November 23, 2018

It’s possible the #otter took a #bus and #SkyTrain to get there. It’s a pretty convenient location if using Transit. #OtterWatch2018

— Cst. Julien Ponsioen 🏳️‍🌈 (@CstJPonsioen) November 23, 2018

I’m praying for you otter. 🙏😨 #OtterWatch2018

— Jennifer #1.2 million (@birdtweetstome) November 23, 2018

I know everyone’s all swept up by this otter/koi drama, but the question I really need to know is, IS MADONNA OKAY?! #vanpoli #Otterwatch2018

— Erin (@erin_hanson) November 24, 2018

Umm, can we just keep @ChinatownOtter in the garden? He’s pretty amazing! #Otterwatch2018 #chinatownotter #chinatownyvr

— Miss can’t do wrong (@missmuffet79) November 24, 2018

my yoga class tonight did a “supported fish” pose in honour of the otter and koi situation at Dr. Sun Yat-Sen #vancouver #Otterwatch2018

— Dara Fontein (@deefontein) November 24, 2018

Devoted fans can also pick up Team Otter or Team Koi buttons. Proceeds, originally, were going to be donated to the garden. Staff have opted, however, to send the funds to a wildlife preservation organization instead.

Hey #Otterwatch2018 fans!
We’ve made a batch of #TeamOtter and #TeamKoi buttons.
You can pick them up at @chinatownhouse (188 East Pender Street) for $2 each.
Net proceeds will be donated to @vangarden #ChinatownYVR pic.twitter.com/yLx73cfyZu

— Chinatown Today今日唐人街 (@chinatown_today) November 23, 2018

As it stands, several more Koi were lost on the weekend, bringing the total up to 10 fish eaten from the pond.

As we continue to work with @ParkBoard to contain the otter, Garden staff spent Saturday trying to rescue the remaining koi in our pond. After several hours, we were able to get one koi to @vanaqua for safekeeping. We will provide an update tomorrow. #Otterwatch2018 #ChinatownYVR pic.twitter.com/mjnvUmji4k

— Dr. Sun Yat-Sen Classical Chinese Garden (@vangarden) November 25, 2018

Fortunately, the garden staff were able to catch one Koi and have relocated it to the Vancouver Aquarium.

The garden remains closed until further notice.

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