One Richmond family made a rare discovery in their backyard shed— three baby river otters, which were hidden in a den beneath the shed.
This is a “rare case of an otter raising young in an urban residential setting.”
RELATED: A Massive Floating 250-Room Hotel Just Got Approved For Vancouver’s Waterfront
Richmond Family Discovers Baby Otters In Shed
After the otters were found, technicians from the Skedaddle Humane Wildlife Control were called to the property. They were able to locate the nesting chamber, where a mother otter was raising her babies. The young otters were estimated to be around three weeks old.
“The property sits within reach of interconnected waterways, shoreline habitat, and green space linked to the Fraser River—conditions that naturally attract otters. While the surrounding neighbourhood is fully developed, features like nearby water and low human disturbance can create pockets of suitable habitat,” said Skedaddle in a press release. “In this case, the space beneath the shed offered the kind of shelter otters seek along riverbanks: protected, hidden, and close to food. Encounters like this highlight how adaptable species such as river otters can be as urban and natural environments increasingly overlap.”
The baby otters were all safely removed and placed in a heated reunion box. This made it easy for the mother to retrieve and relocate them nearby. The mother reportedly returned shortly after and moved her babies one-by-one to a nearby alternate den. The shed was then installed with preventative screening to prevent re-entry.
“This is a rare situation for us, as we’ve never handled an otter removal before,” said Alex Ritz, Owner and Operator of Skedaddle Vancouver. “But with years of experience removing wildlife like skunks from beneath sheds, we were able to apply those same methods to ensure a safe outcome.”
You might also like
