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The clbadic Chinese garden in Vancouver is expected to reopen after two surviving koi adults and hundreds of juveniles were rescued from a pond where at least 10 of their koi mates were picked up and eaten by a stray otter.
Volunteers from AquaTerra Environmental, a company specializing in fish recovery, and Vancouver Park board staff have been dragging a 30-meter seine across the pond this morning to catch the fish.
The two adult koi were transferred to the Vancouver Aquarium for storage. (AquaTerra Environmental)
"They were pretty easy to capture," said Chris Lee, principal of AquaTerra. "We had a very wide pbad and they swam together as they pleased, they were in good shape and there did not seem to be any obvious signs of injury or stress."
Lee said the staff and volunteers were pleasantly surprised by the approximately 300 koi juveniles that were also gathered during the half – hour operation.
"It's a beautiful interpretation of the story that a number of juveniles will eventually grow to take the place of some of those adults who have been preyed on," Lee said.
The board and staff of the popular Chinatown Park waged a lost battle against the Otter intruder that settled almost two weeks ago. Some of the prized koi have – or were – at least 50 years old, including a fish named Madonna whose fate is unknown.
The koi caught today were transferred to the Vancouver Aquarium for storage, joining the only adult koi previously displaced. Efforts to capture the live otter are underway. The garden says that it has not been seen for three days.
About 300 juvenile carp were also collected. (AquaTerra Environmental)
The garden closed on November 23 to take care of the otter but will reopen Friday morning. Park board staff announced that he was considering "modifying the entry and exit points of the garden to prevent future visits by otters".
Lee said that his company volunteered to lead the rescue of koi after hearing about the critical situation of the garden in the news.
AquaTerra specializes in the removal and relocation of live fish from expanses of water where work is in progress.
The otter did not make its appearance during the rescue mission of today.
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