Are you afraid of otters?
Three women went floating down the river in inner tubes a few days ago in Jefferson River Park, Montana.
They were attacked by otters. Did you say otters?
Fish and wildlife officials say attacks by otters are rare (I mean, come on–The Wind in the Willows, and all that!), they can be aggressive under certain circumstances. The women weren’t sure whether they were attacked by two otters or only one. They were kind of busy panicking (https://nbcmontana.com/news/local/3-women-injured-1-hospitalized-after-otter-attack-on-jefferson-river).
All three were injured–bitten, actually–and one had to be airlifted out by helicopter.
Sheesh! All those YouTube videos of cozy otters and their human friends–really, how do you get attacked by an otter?
Officials ask park visitors not to call rangers or police whenever they chance to see a wild animal.
Do they want you to wait till the animals attack you?
That is truly strange. The are wild animals, and as such, don’t always act predictably, but I find it amazing that an animal the size of an otter would take on three adult humans. The only explanation that makes sense would be that this was probably related to a parent animal protecting their young.