A young child was almost drowned to death by a crazed wild otter that pulled them into the water during a frenzied attack.
The youngster, who was on a walk with their mum, was attacked by the otter on a dock at a marina. The animal pulled the child under water in the frightening incident, authorities in the US said.
Luckily, the child’s desperate mother was able to drag them back to safety when they briefly resurfaced.
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The child, who has not been named, was left with scratches and bites to their head, face and legs. The mother was bitten by the otter during the incident in Bremerton Marina in Kitsap County, Washington.
(Image: Getty Images)
Ken Balazs, from the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife said: “We are grateful the victim only sustained minor injuries, due to the mother’s quick actions and child’s resiliency.
“We would also like to thank the Port of Bremerton for their quick coordination and communication to their marina tenants.”
Officials said the incident happened at around 9.30am on Thursday, September 12.
The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife said they were called by the mother who said her child was pulled into the water as they were walking down the dock.
The child was dragged underwater and resurfaced after a few moments, resurfaced. The vicious otter kept pursuing the family as they fled the dock area before the child was treated at a local hospital.
(Image: Getty Images)
After the incident, officers with the WDFW contacted the US Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services to trap and lethally remove river otters from the marina.
One otter was trapped at the scene, and will be tested for rabies at the Washington Animal Disease Diagnostic Lab.
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