BREMERTON, Wash. — Warning signs about aggressive wildlife are posted at Bremerton Marina after a river otter attacked a mother and her young child Thursday morning.
“This was a rare situation – one that we don’t see a lot,” said Matt Blankenship with the Department of Fish & Wildlife (WDFW).
The mother and child were walking down the dock when the otter somehow got a hold of the youngster, dragging them under the water.
The mom pulled her kid out as the otter continued to attack, chasing the two as they got off the dock.
The child was taken to the hospital with bites and scratches.
“In most cases, otters tend to shy away from people. They have a lot of energy and power that they can actually grab a hold of somebody and pull underwater like that. It’s either showing a sign of being territorial or protective of pups. That’s the reason we’d see that type of behavior from an otter,” said Blankenship.
Friday morning, WDFW reported it trapped and killed an otter in the area and the animal is now being tested for rabies.
“You see wildlife on the dock. I’ve seen the otters at times, you see seals, and most of the time they kind of are a little skittish and stay away. I would not imagine they’d ever attack me,” said Samuel Hilbert, a boater.
Work continues to trap and remove otters from the area around the marina, where access is now limited to boaters and maintenance crews.
“We’re taking direction from Department of Fish & Wildlife, so when they say go ahead it’s a safer environment, we will return back to normal. But right now, everybody’s on alert just to make sure we have a safe dock in this area,” said James Weaver, Port of Bremerton Facilities Director.
WDFW says there have only been six documented otter attacks against humans in Washington in the last decade.