Otters are all very fine in their natural environment, and we love to watch them on the Gabriola shoreline.

The problem is when otters decide to move into your crawlspace, basement, or the place under your porch. Otter poop is not a pleasant smell, and you won’t like the smell of the otters’ fishy dinner leftovers, either. Also, otters won’t play nicely with your dogs, cats, or kids. When otters move in, things go from bad to worse. And if you live anywhere near the waterfront on Gabriola, otters may have moved into part of your house.

How, then, to convince an otter to move out of your house? We know a Gabriola woman who replaced the siding on her house again and again, because the otters kept ripping the siding off to get back into the crawlspace they loved. She tried lots of things, all expensive, and all to no avail.

Finally a neighbour (a rather famous Gabriolan) gave her the answer: make sure the otters are out for the day, then put an electric fence all along the side of the house, an inch or so away from the siding. And guess what? Problem solved.

This has been a public service announcement from the Peaceful Sleep on Gabriola department.

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