Otter drags child off jetty and underwater in Washington marina

CNN
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A child was dragged underwater from a dock in a rare attack by a river otter at a Washington state marina on Thursday, the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife said.

The otter pulled the small child underwater while the mother was still on the dock at the Bremerton Marina in Kitsap County.

Moments later, the otter resurfaced and the mother rescued her child from the water. But the animal continued to attack and bit the mother on the arm, according to a press release from the Department of Fish and Wildlife.

The otter continued to pursue the family as they attempted to get off the dock. The child had scratches and bites on her head, face and legs and was taken to a local hospital to be treated for what officials described as minor injuries.

Sergeant Ken Balazs of the Department of Fish and Wildlife praised “the mother’s quick actions and the child’s resilience.”

The U.S. Department of Agriculture's Wildlife Services worked to capture and “lethally remove” all river otters from the marina. One river otter was captured at the site where it was attacked and taken to the Washington Animal Disease Diagnostic Lab, where it was examined and tested for rabies.

River otters are relatively common throughout Washington and can be found in freshwater, brackish or saltwater habitats, according to the agency. “Although encounters with river otters are rare, they can be territorial and, like any wild animal, are naturally unpredictable,” the release warned.

According to officials with the Department of Conservation, six incidents between humans and river otters have been documented in Washington state over the past decade.

Last year, three women were attacked by an otter while they were rafting down the Jefferson River in Montana. All three women were treated for their injuries. One of the women had “more serious” injuries and was flown to a hospital by helicopter.