Attack by ‘territorial’ otter leaves visitor severely injured at California national park

After an encounter with an aggressive river otter in Lassen Volcanic National Park sent a visitor to the hospital, park officials have advised the public to stay away from the lake where the incident occurred.

The visitor was swimming in Manzanita Lake on June 25 when the otter attacked, the park reported in a Facebook post. There is no evidence the visitor provoked the otter, the park said.

Despite their cute appearances, otters have sharp claws and teeth and often get territorial and aggressive when protecting their young, the post said. The otter was “most likely a female protecting its young and den,” the park service said in the post.

The visitor’s specific injuries were not disclosed. The park has requested that visitors avoid swimming or using flotation devices in the eastern part of the lake where the incident occurred.

The post said that visitors who come into contact with otters should move away as quickly as possible, and asked that park visitors report further river otter incidents to park officials.

The incident is the latest in a series of otter attacks in the region. An otter attack at nearby Shasta Lake in 2016 sent two teenage boys to the hospital with numerous scratches, and a similar attack in 2001 left a teenage girl with 30 puncture wounds.

This story was originally published June 29, 2020 at 5:13 PM.