The well-known Angry Otter Logo has spurred many shoppers to jokingly question, “Why is the otter so angry?” but never as frequently as in 2018 and 2019 when a local rogue river otter made national headlines.
“Questions regarding our own ‘angry otter’ aren’t new and while that story is a bit of a long one, the story behind our ‘Koi Killer IPA and our work to make local otters ‘less angry’ is always a fun one to share,” says Angry Otter’s Director of Liquor, Troy Faye.
“Finding new ways to support local organizations has always been near and dear to Otter Co-op and our Angry Otter Liquor stores, so when the 2018/2019 ‘Koi incident’ happened at the Dr. Sun Yat-Sen Chinese Gardens, well it just made sense for us to find a way to help out.”
Many Lower Mainland residents will remember the stealthy otter that engineered the ‘great koi massacre’ of 2018 and the repeat attack in 2019. The furry scoundrel quickly became a national headline after breaking into the historic Chinese gardens and gorging itself on the garden’s beloved koi.
A grand total of 17 koi were killed between 2018 and 2019, decimating the garden’s koi population. All jokes aside, when you consider that mature koi sell for an average of $500 per fish, the loss of so many was indeed devastating to the not-for-profit society that cares for the gardens.
“At the time of the ‘koi incident’ in the gardens, we happened to already be in the process of developing our own IPA with Parallel 49. We brought up the idea of using this beer to help rebuild the gardens and they were totally onboard. So we took the opportunity to help the gardens recover, while coming up with a creative name that would resonate with our Vancouver clientele,” Faye says. “We named our new beer ‘Koi Killer IPA’ and have been donating a portion of the proceeds from every case sold to the Dr. Sun Yat-Sen Classical Chinese Gardens ever since.”
This past October, Angry Otter Liquor found another fun way to give back to the community, while hopefully continuing to make local otters, ‘a little less angry’. Throughout October, Angry Otter donated $3 per sale of the mixed-pack of Stanley Park Brewing Company’s ‘Hoppy Trails’ to the otters at the Vancouver Aquarium’s Marine Mammal Rescue Society.
“We like to joke that hopefully the otters at the Vancouver Aquarium pass the word along about our ongoing campaign to help make them ‘a little less angry’ to their friends once they’re released,” Faye says. “Angry Otter and Otter Co-op as a whole have always looked out for our local communities and found unique ways to engage, collaborate with and fundraise for various local organizations.”
Considering there have been no further attempts by the otters to dine-out at the now replenished koi ponds at the Dr. Sun Yat-Sen Classical Chinese Gardens, hopefully it’s a sign that our local otters are indeed, a bit less ‘angry’ these days.
Find more information about Angry Otter online here and follow Angry Otter on Facebook and Instagram for the latest updates on new locations, promotions and events.
If you would like to make a donation to Dr. Sun Yat-Sen Classical Chinese Gardens you can do so online here or you can make a donation to the Vancouver Aquarium’s Marine Mammal Rescue Society here.
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