iN VIDEO: Oyama man captures neat moment between eagle and otter

Oyama resident Andy DuTot was driving to work a few days ago when he something unusual sitting on a floating dock on Wood Lake, so he pulled over to take a closer look.

“There were two eagles sitting on a tree which is a common sight, but I couldn’t figure out at first what animal was on the dock,” he said. “I pulled into the community hall lot and looked closer.”

One of the eagles suddenly swooped down at the animal, which quickly disappeared into the water.

“As it went into the water, I could see it was an otter,” he said. “It was a special moment because in the years I’ve lived here we’ve spent a lot of time down at the lake and it was the first time I’ve seen an otter.”

DuTot managed to capture a video of the interaction between the bird and river otter that has garnered 27,000 views and prompted conversations in the community.

“I’ve had a coworker send a video clip of the otters, it appears there is a family of four in Wood Lake,” he said. “After talking to people who lived here their whole lives, a lot of them don’t know otters live in Wood Lake.”

River otters are members of the weasel family that are commonly spotted in lakes and rivers in the Okanagan and Kamloops all year round. The wily animals don’t hibernate and are designed to withstand frozen conditions. The otters are known to be intelligent, playful and curious. They communicate amongst themselves with chirps, growls, whistles and body language.

Bald eagles do not prey on otters, however, they will swoop down to steal fish from them.

“There’s nothing super special about the video but it’s cute and I think it’s neat we have otters,” DuTot said. “They’re a special animal and who doesn’t love otters?”