Additional Coverage:
- River otter captured after attacking and dragging child underwater at Washington marina (nbcnews.com)
In Bremerton, Washington, a river otter attacked a young boy at a marina, dragging him underwater and biting him before his mother managed to rescue him.
The unusual incident occurred Thursday morning while the boy and his mother were walking along the dock at the Bremerton Marina, according to a news release from the Washington State Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW).
The boy suffered scratches and bites on his head, face, and legs and was treated at a nearby hospital.
The mother reported to authorities that the otter pulled her son into the water and held him under briefly. He resurfaced after a short while, WDFW noted.
“The child’s mother was able to pull him from the water as the otter continued its attack, biting her arm in the process. The otter chased the family off the dock,” the agency’s statement read.
Ken Balazs from WDFW said the boy’s injuries were minor thanks to his mother’s quick response and the child’s resilience.
The otter was caught and taken to the Washington Animal Disease Diagnostic Lab for evaluation and rabies testing.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services is now working to “trap and lethally remove” river otters from the marina, the fish and wildlife agency added.
River otters are fairly common in Washington and can live in various water habitats, the agency mentioned. Although encounters with them are rare, they can be territorial and unpredictable like any wild animal.
Over the past decade, Washington has seen six other incidents involving river otters and humans, the agency noted.
For instance, last year in Jupiter, Florida, a rabid otter bit a man and a dog, while in Montana, three women were hurt by an otter while floating on inner tubes in a river. One of them had severe bites and had to be airlifted to the hospital.
In California, Matt Leffers was bitten at least twelve times by otters while swimming at Serene Lakes in Placer County last September. He told NBC News affiliate KCRA 3 that he feared for his life and that the otters were so aggressive he thought they wanted to kill him. His wife rescued him on a paddleboat before getting him to the hospital.
This article was reported by Minyvonne Burke, senior breaking news reporter for NBC News, with contributions from Lindsay Good.