River otter caught after attacking and pulling child underwater at a Washington marina.


A river otter attacked a child at a marina in Bremerton, Washington, dragging the boy underwater and biting him before his mother was able to rescue him.

The incident occurred Thursday morning at the Bremerton Marina in Kitsap County, according to the state's Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW). The child and his mother were walking on a dock when the rare attack happened.

The child suffered scratches and bites on his head, face, and legs and was treated at a local hospital. The mother reported that the otter pulled her son into the water and dragged him beneath the surface. He resurfaced after a few moments, WDFW said.

"The mother managed to lift the child out of the water while the otter continued its attack, resulting in her being bitten on the arm. The otter pursued the family as they left the dock," the agency noted.

Ken Balazs from WDFW stated that the child’s injuries were minor, thanks to the mother’s quick actions and the child’s resilience.

The otter has been captured and taken to the Washington Animal Disease Diagnostic Lab for rabies testing. The U.S. Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services is working to trap and remove river otters from the marina.

While river otters are relatively common in Washington and inhabit various freshwater and saltwater environments, encounters with them are rare. The animals can be territorial and, like all wildlife, are unpredictable.

Over the past decade, there have been six documented incidents between humans and river otters in the state.

In a similar incident last year, a rabid otter bit a man and a dog in Jupiter, Florida. In Montana, three women were injured when an otter attacked them while they floated on inner tubes; one woman required helicopter transport to the hospital due to severe bites. In California, Matt Leffers was bitten at least 12 times by otters while swimming at Serene Lakes in Placer County last September. He described the otters as so aggressive that he felt they intended to kill him. His wife had to rescue him on a paddleboat before taking him to the hospital.