|
The large male otter was trapped, captured and euthanized
just yards from where the late July attack occurred in the
Pilchuck River in Snohomish County, about 36 miles northeast of
Seattle, the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife said.
The otter pounced on an 8-year-old boy as he swam to a rope
swing, and then turned on the child's grandmother as she tried
to intervene, officials said. Both were hospitalized with dozens
of bite and scratch marks to the face, arms and chest.
The attack appeared unprovoked, according to Captain Alan Myers
of the Department of Fish and Wildlife.
"Aggression is not usual for this species," he said.
In the days after the attack, trappers found several females
with pups in the area, and said the responsible animal might
have been a mother protecting her brood. However, those females
showed no signs of aggression and moved out when dogs came
through, Myers said.
The large male otter found Sunday acted aggressively and did not
appear scared of dogs or humans, Myers said.
"It appears he was very habituated to humans," he said.
River otters are semiaquatic animals that generally live along
river banks and hunt for fish underwater. They are able to hold
their breath for about eight minutes. An adult can weigh between
11 and 30 pounds.
A necropsy will be performed to determine whether disease or
previous injury played a role in the otter's unusually
aggressive behavior, Myers said.
(Reporting by Victoria Cavaliere; Editing by Daniel Wallis)
[© 2014 Thomson Reuters. All rights
reserved.] Copyright 2014 Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may not be published,
broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
 |
|
