A woman in Lake Tahoe is currently recovering after she was left bloodied and battered by a ferocious… otter attack. Yes, you read that right. An otter went after a woman while she was swimming, and now she’s scared to get back in the water.
Otter attacks might seem like a rare occurrence, but allow me to direct your attention to some very scary incidents that have taken place in just the past couple of years. The little creatures pack a mighty punch, especially when they work together to do some of these things below:
-Brutally injured a woman in Montana that required her to be airlifted
-Group of them has ganged up on an alligator
–Attacked a man swimming in a California lake, and the man was quoted as thinking he was “going to die”
And believe it or not, there’s even more violent otter stories that I could link to. To say the little creatures have been on a terrifying tear would be an understatement. They might look cute and cuddly, but they are as vicious as wild animals come.
Just take it from Lynnette, a swim instructor in the Reno-Tahoe area. She was swimming in Lake Tahoe when, all of the sudden, a wild animal came after her. She posted to social media to detail the encounter, and described the initial attack and her attempt to flee as this:
“I am writing this post from the emergency room. I was out for a swim along the East Shore of Lake Tahoe and got attacked by a wild otter. I had been swimming about 30 minutes when I felt something grab my leg. I thought it was a person until I saw the otter, and then it kept coming at me with teeth and claws. I tried to push it away but this thing was relentless.
I made my way to a rock and it climbed up on the rock and kept attacking me. I swear it was a 5 minute attack! I was yelling and pushing and it just kept coming for me. I finally climbed up on a bigger rock and got away from it, but it kept circling the area, so I knew I couldn’t get back in the water. I climbed over rocks and the fence to the East Shore Bike Trail then walked barefoot back, freaking out everyone I passed.”
Sounds like the otter just wouldn’t quit.
Once she got out of the water, someone in the area saw her and ended up calling the authorities. Police officers, rangers and the fire department quickly responded to the scene to provide aid, and Lynnette said later in the caption that a game warden visited her house so she could file an official report on the matter:
“I think I need stitches and a rabies shot. A Game Warden came to my house to file a report and they have people out on boats looking for it with plans to trap it. The saddest part of this is swimming in Tahoe is my favorite thing to do that brings me so much peace. And now I’m afraid to get back in.”
@isr.reno.tahoe I am writing this post from the emergency room. I was out for a swim along the East Shore of Lake Tahoe and got attacked by a wild otter. I had been swimming about 30 minutes when I felt something grab my leg. I thought it was a person until I saw the otter, and then it kept coming at me with teeth and claws. I tried to push it away but this thing was relentless. I made my way to a rock and it climbed up on the rock and kept attacking me. I swear it was a 5 minute attack! I was yelling and pushing and it just kept coming for me. I finally climbed up on a bigger rock and got away from it, but it kept circling the area, so I knew I couldn’t get back in the water. I climbed over rocks and the fence to the East Shore Bike Trail then walked barefoot back, freaking out everyone I passed. A biker called authorities and next thing I knew I had three sherifs, rangers and the fire department. I think I need stitches and a rabies shot. A Game Warden came to my house to file a report and they have people out on boats looking for it with plans to trap it. The saddest part of this is swimming in Tahoe is my favorite thing to do that brings me so much peace. And now I’m afraid to get back in. No one that responded today had heard of an otter attack in Tahoe. So I guess I won the otter lottery?! #isrrenotahoe #laketahoe #otterattack ♬ original sound – ISR Reno Tahoe
Isn’t that insane? A small, “innocent” otter can do that much damage.
So now, Lynnette is recovering from her injuries and trying to figure out if she ever wants to dive back into Lake Tahoe again. If the swim instructor decided not to, I wouldn’t blame her. The wildlife department will do all they can to identify the otter that attacked and remove it from the area, but that process might be easier said than done.
But at the same time, she did say that swimming in Lake Tahoe was one of her favorite things to do… so hopefully she’ll heal up – physically, mentally and emotionally – and get back out there.
