Northern California man recounts ‘life or death’ bite attack by river otters near Lake Tahoe

At 69 years old, Matt Leffers spoke casually of swimming to Alcatraz Island from San Francisco and back, spanning a distance of a whopping 38 Olympic-sized pools one way.

The experienced natator has enjoyed open water swimming for decades — another of his favored water excursions includes Serene Lakes, two connected bodies of water about 38 miles northwest of Lake Tahoe.

But a September attack mounted by two river otters upon Leffers in Serene Lakes has left the seasoned swimmer unwilling to traverse back into its tranquil Sierra Nevada waters.

“After the first couple bites, I started screaming for help ... as loud as I could,” Leffers said of the assault during a recent phone interview. “I’ve never done that in my life.”

The San Francisco resident estimated he was about 120 feet from his wife’s family cabin when he felt a very strong bite on his right calf. He turned around and saw two otters that cornered and bit him dozens of times.

“I really thought that I was going to die,” Leffers said, who later noted the mammals could have punctured a major artery.

Peter Tira, a spokesman for the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, said that river otter attacks are rare but several people have reported such incidents this summer. Recreationists should be cautious around the mammals — the North American river otter is a predator species, related to wolverines and badgers, he said.

“River otters are cute and charismatic and should be enjoyed from a safe distance,” Tira said. “They are equally fast on land as they are in the water and their teeth can inflict a lot of damage.”

Anyone who sees river otters in a lake, river or creek shouldn’t go swimming there or allow their pets near them, Tira said. He noted wildlife officials spoke with a local homeowners association near Serene Lakes and provided safety tips regarding otters and other creatures.

“There is no action needed or warranted by CDFW other than providing information to the public that river otters need to be respected and given their space,” Tira said.

Leffers said he’s concerned this attack could happen again in Serene Lakes, and said he was frustrated that state officials hadn’t done more. If a bear or coyote attacked a person, more decisive action would be taken such as euthanizing it, he said.

“It’s a life and death situation and the state’s not taking it seriously,” Leffers said.