Woman says she was repeatedly bitten by otters

[August 12, 2009]  DRUMMOND, Wis. (AP) -- An Austrian woman on vacation in Wisconsin is getting rabies shots after she said she was bitten by otters while swimming in a lake.

Brigitte France, 51, told the Duluth News Tribune that she was swimming on Lake Owen near Drummond last Wednesday when three otters suddenly appeared. Feeling concerned, she swam to shore.

Just as she got there, she said, "there they were -- one on the right leg and one on the left leg."

She said they swam off when she shook her legs, but not before biting her eight or nine times.

Although France said the bites didn't hurt much, she did go to a hospital, where doctors started a series of rabies shots.

France lives in Altach, Austria. Her husband is from Duluth, and they visit Lake Owen each summer.

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Information from: Duluth News Tribune, http://www.duluthsuperior.com/

[Associated Press]

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