91Ƶ

Skip to content

You 91Ƶotter91Ƶ believe it

A photo of some cute otters enjoying a play on a wharf in West Kelowna got a lot of attention online.
web1_Sea-otters-2

Fish, sunken garbage, Ogopogo and 91Ƶ river otters.

A photo of some cute otters playing on a wharf in West Kelowna got a lot of attention on the Kelowna Cap News Facebook page as many residents seemed shocked these little mammals live in Okanagan Lake.

91ƵI have lived here all my life and never once have I heard of otters in our lake!91Ƶ wrote Delaney Cannell.

91ƵShocked!! Didn91Ƶt know there were otters here,91Ƶ added Susan Kramar.

91ƵIn Okanagan lake???91Ƶ questioned Tricia Christianson.

Despite the disbelief online, a local conservation officer says they do indeed call the lake home.

91ƵWe do have river otters in the Okanagan,91Ƶ said Conservation Officer Terry Myroniuk. 91ƵAnd despite their name, they do hang out in lakes also. Super cute critters.91Ƶ

Mignon Fritschi was the one that captured the photo of the romp on Feb. 12, 2017. The family was playing on a snow-covered wharf in front of her home on Angus Drive, above Gellatly Road in West Kelowna.

Fritschi said she has lived at that home for 19 years and has never seen river otters before this year.

91ƵFour or five days before I took that picture, there were two on the wharf, they were there for a bit feeding on fish. Then I was in my kitchen a few days later, looking out over the wharf and I saw them sitting out there so I had to get a picture,91Ƶ said Fritschi.

91ƵI sent the picture to a few friends and learned they are river otters and found out they come in the lake sometimes.91Ƶ

According to Fritschi, some of her neighbours have seen them in the past, but to her it was a surprise.

91ƵIt was the very first time I91Ƶve ever seen them,91Ƶ said Fritschi. 91ƵThey were hopping in an out, moving around there. Apparently they like to be on the snow.91Ƶ

Unfortunately, the otters have not been back since she took the photo and Fritschi does not expect to see them again anytime soon.

91ƵIt was so nice to see them, to know those animals are in the water, I think it bodes well for the lake,91Ƶ added Fritschi.

web1_two-otters-342174
stock photo




(or

91Ƶ

) document.head.appendChild(flippScript); window.flippxp = window.flippxp || {run: []}; window.flippxp.run.push(function() { window.flippxp.registerSlot("#flipp-ux-slot-ssdaw212", "Black Press Media Standard", 1281409, [312035]); }); }