Otter eats 3 more koi, evades capture at Chinatown park

And then there were four.

That's the number of koi left at Vancouver's Dr. Sun Yat-SenClassical Chinese Garden after anelusive otter killed another three of thedecorative fish over the weekend, upping the death countfrom seven to ten.

"We're sad, but at the same time we tryto be hopeful," DebbieCheung, the garden's spokesperson, said Sunday.

There was a glimmer ofhope the day before, when garden staff caught and relocated one koito the Vancouver Aquarium.

But the other three have been tough to catch, Cheung said. Staff wading in the ponds have stirred up abed of clay,clouding the water and alerting the koi.

Cheung said the koi are showing signs of stress and not responding to a gong that's normally used in the water to summon them for meals.

The otter, whichtravelled hundreds of metres from the ocean, has rampaged the garden for more than a week. He remains on the loose, so farevading humane traps set up by a wildlife relocation expert.

The plan is to send the otter to the Fraser Valley, about an hour's drive from Vancouver.

The garden will be closed until further notice. More updates are expected Monday.