ANCHORAGE, Alaska (KTUU) – The Alaska Department of Fish and Game confirmed Monday that a juvenile was bitten by an otter while they were paddleboarding at Sand Lake over the weekend. Since the incident, warning signs have been placed in at least two locations around Sand Lake.
The department said incidents like this are not common. However, over the past five years, it has seen an uptick in human encounters with otters throughout various bodies of water in Anchorage.
“We have had incidents there at University Lake, mainly with dogs. We’ve seen it in several other lakes and watersheds where people are harassing otters, don’t know they are there and get too close,” Cory Stantorf, with the Department of Fish and Game, said. “We see that animal defend itself from a perceived threat.”…