Child Dragged Underwater by River Otter in Rare Attack, Rescued by Mom

A young child in Washington is recovering after being dragged underwater by a river otter in a rare attack.

According to a press release from the Washington Department of Fish & Wildlife (WDFW), a child was visiting the Bremerton Marina, located east of Seattle, on Thursday, Sept. 12, when a “human-river otter incident” occurred.

The WDFW said that officers received a report at around 9:30 a.m. from the child’s mother, who said a river otter pulled her child off the dock they were walking down. The otter then dragged the child underwater, and the child came back up above the surface after a few moments.

The child’s mom then lifted them out of the water as the otter was still attacking, resulting in her sustaining a bite on her arm. The otter “continued to pursue the family” as they left. According to the WDFW, the child was taken to a nearby hospital, where they received treatment for bites and scratches on the face, legs and top of the head.

“We are grateful the victim only sustained minor injuries, due to the mother’s quick actions and child’s resiliency,” WDFW sergeant Ken Balazs said in the press release. “We would also like to thank the Port of Bremerton for their quick coordination and communication to their marina tenants.”

According to the release, officers requested that the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Wildlife Services trap and kill otters in the marina. One animal was found near the dock where the child was attacked, and the WDFW said it was taken to a lab for testing, particularly for rabies.

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The WDFW also said in its press release that river otters are commonly found across Washington, in both fresh and saltwater bodies of water. People can legally trap them with a trapping license during open season, and the department also said they can be legally killed or trapped if they are “damaging crops or domestic animals.”

“Although encounters with river otters are rare, they can be territorial and, like any wildlife, are inherently unpredictable,” the department stated, noting that there have been six documented incidents between humans and river otters within the past 10 years.

This is not the only otter attack to make headlines in the past week. The New York Post reported on Wednesday, Sept. 11, that a woman in Malaysia was jogging in Tanjung Aru Recreation Park in Sabah when a group of otters approached her and attacked her, biting her and leaving her bloodied.

A park official said that the otters may have had a “change in behavior” because of visitors feeding the animals, and added that the woman was transported to a hospital and treated for her injuries.