THE Dr. Sun Yat-Sen garden pond has been temporarily closed while the Park Board responds to the appearance of an otter in the pond. The otter was sighted and confirmed to be at the pond on Wednesday morning along with the carcasses of three koi. Park Board staff took immediate action and began lowering the water levels of the pond in order to remove the existing koi.

Working with partners, a live trap was set for the otter and it has not been caught. On Friday, six large koi and 74 small koi were removed from the pond and are being temporarily housed off-site. Park Board staff were continuing to sweep the pond on Saturday to ensure all koi were removed. They expect to be able to refill the pond within the next 48 hours and re-open the garden.