A river otter attacked a child at a marina in Bremerton, Washington, pulling the boy underwater and biting him before he was rescued by his mother.
The rare attack happened Thursday morning as the child and his mother were walking on a dock at the Bremerton Marina in Kitsap County, the state’s Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) said in a news release.
The child sustained scratches and bites to the top of his head, face and legs and was treated at a local hospital.
The mother told authorities that the river otter pulled her son into the water and dragged him underneath. He resurfaced after a few moments, WDFW said.
“The child’s mother was able to lift the child out of the water while the otter continued to attack and was subsequently bit in the arm. The river otter continued to pursue the family as they left the dock,” the agency said.
Ken Balazs, with WDFW, said the child sustained minor injuries “due to the mother’s quick actions and child’s resiliency.”
The otter was captured and taken to the Washington Animal Disease Diagnostic Lab for further evaluation and testing for rabies.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services works to “trap and lethally remove” river otters from the marina, the fish and wildlife agency said.
The animals are relatively common in Washington and can be found in fresh, brackish, or saltwater habitats, the agency said. Encounters with them are rare but they can be” territorial and, like any wildlife, are inherently unpredictable.”
Six other human-river otter incidents have been documented in the state in the last decade, according to the agency.
Last year, a rabid otter bit a man and a dog in Jupiter, Florida, and in Montana three women were injured when an otter attacked them as they floated on inner tubes on a river. One woman had severe bites on her face and arms and was flown to the hospital via helicopter.
In California, Matt Leffers said he was swimming at Serene Lakes in Placer County last September when otters bit him at least 12 times. He told NBC News affiliate KCRA 3 that he feared for his life and the animals were so “aggressive that, literally, I felt like they wanted to kill me.” His wife had to rescue him on a paddleboat before taking him to the hospital.