River otters often thrive in the salty ocean waters along the Victoria shore. Ella Smiley photo

VIDEO: Wrestling BC river otters draw a crowd

September 7, 2021 // by Tegwyn Hughes

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Davis Pow and his family were visiting Victoria recently when they spotted an adorable ruckus underfoot near the Ogden Point Breakwater lighthouse.

A feisty trio of otters were rolling around and wrestling at the water’s edge, much to the family’s delight. The Coquitlam resident quickly took out his phone and positioned himself to take a video.

VIDEO: Davis Pow and his family were in #VictoriaBC for a visit on Friday afternoon when they spotted an adorable ruckus underfoot near the Ogden Point Breakwater lighthouse. Turns out a trio of otters were wrestling at the water’s edge. #yyj pic.twitter.com/mCn941Hpns

— Victoria News (@VictoriaNews) September 4, 2021

Pow said other people passing by stopped to watch the show too, and soon enough quite the crowd of onlookers had formed.

BC is home to two species of otter – the river otter and the sea otter. Despite the species’ name, river otters like the ones Pow spotted often thrive in the salty ocean waters and many live along the Victoria waterfront.

Sea otters, on the other hand, are a rarer sight along the coast of southern Vancouver Island. The furry species was nearly wiped out along the BC coast by 19th-century traders, but the population has been steadily increasing over the past few decades.

For Pow and his family, taking a moment to marvel at the local wildlife was a treat.

“My partner and I lived in Victoria for many years previously and always love coming back to visit,” Pow says. “Moments like this are one of the many reasons why.”

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