Otter Attack Tarnishes Cute and Playful Image

Fishermen here have long complained about the wily river otters that steal fish and knock over bait buckets. Pesky, but hardly dangerous.

But now questions, theories and rumors abound in this small Northern California mountain town ever since a 17-year-old girl was attacked by five river otters.

Attack otters?

“It’s otterly amazing,” said Glenn Hassenpflug, a spokesman at Redding Medical Center, where doctors treated Erin Vanduzer’s otter bites--30 of them. “Otters are supposed to be cute and cuddly.”

In Disney-esque fashion, otters have long been pictured cavorting in the water or sledding belly-first on an icy shore. Though playful, otters are instinctively wary of humans.

But the otters at Shasta-Trinity National Forest have grown less fearful, just as bears in some forests view ice chests as an invitation to lunch.

Because there are more otters--and more humans in their territory--there are more contacts between the two. People have also let down their guard. Though wildlife officials aren’t sure why a group of otters attacked Vanduzer, they are warning lake vacationers to be cautious.

“The otter’s cuddly image has been tarnished,” said Dave Smith, a wildlife biologist for the California Department of Fish and Game in Redding.

River otters tend to hover near shore, waiting for fish guts to be dumped dockside or for a novice fisherman to wander from his line. In a flash, they’ll grab the loot and glide away.

But until last week, the otters had always been playful. Lake visitors weren’t afraid to swim alongside the usually sociable creatures.

So when Vanduzer, a former softball player and part-time courthouse employee from Exeter, Calif., jumped into the water July 16 on the lake’s west side, she wasn’t frightened by a group of otters playing about 100 feet away.

She treaded water as her sister Vickie, 13, and friend Sandy Crawford, 14, of Whittier, bobbed on an air mattress.

The girls had been at the lake only an hour when Vanduzer saw the otters disappear under the water and swim toward her. She tried to swim away, but they circled beneath. One grabbed her neck from behind, tearing at her back. Four others nipped at her feet, arms, legs, chest and head.

The 5-foot-3 teenager swam 30 feet to shore with the otters hanging on her body. At 4 feet, the biggest otter still wouldn’t let go of her neck, and Crawford’s father, Wes, had to beat it away.

“I feel so stupid when people ask me what happened,” Vanduzer said. “They laugh when I say, ‘Yeah, I got attacked by a group of otters.’ ”

Reason for Attack Not Known

Experts have not determined what caused the attack on Vanduzer, but suspect that three of the otters were pups. The girls weren’t splashing loudly or throwing rocks to taunt the animals, but the otters still may have felt threatened, Smith said.

“The chances of getting bit by an otter are so slim,” he said. “Walking through the woods and getting hit by a falling tree is more likely to happen.”

Tell that to Vanduzer, who was rushed to the hospital in agony. Doctors put in 40 stitches, only to take them out a day later after learning that closing animal bites could lead to infection. Vanduzer and Wes Crawford, who was bitten when he rescued her, began rabies vaccinations the next day.

Like other wildlife, otters are forced to share their habitat with humans. Rather than instinctively shying away, otters have gotten used to people, especially while looking for food. They’ll even seek cover under houseboats.

“With that natural fear gone,” Smith said, “they are more likely to act aggressively.”

Since the attack, Redding residents and vacationers have spread tall tales about other vicious otter encounters. Did you hear about the man who was bitten on his big toe? Or the guy who called forest officials to report an otter that swam by him “aggressively”?

Although hospital officials report treating no additional otter bites, stories still swirl around town.

“Erin isn’t the only one who was bitten,” said a lake marina employee knowingly. “There’s others, lots of others.”

But river otters aren’t monsters, according to Smith, who said most stories about other attacks have been discounted. Still, his office has fielded numerous calls, including one from a woman who was concerned about an otter living under the dock behind her lakefront home.

“I feel sorry for the otters,” said Richard Knight, professor of fish and wildlife biology at Colorado State University. “The lakes are bank-to-bank with people.”

Vanduzer said she is doing much better these days, although the wounds are starting to itch and she is sure she’ll have scars.

“If you see an otter, get out of the water,” she said. “Sure, they’re cute, but once they grab on, they don’t let go.”

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North American River Otters

Genus and species: Lutra canadensis

Habitat: Lakes, streams and coastal marshes

Length: 2-3 feet on average

Weight: 20-30 pounds

Diet: Fish, crustaceans, am-phibians, reptiles, birds and insects

Longevity: 10-15 years in the wild, 25 years in captivity

Description: Head is small and round, with small eyes and ears and prominent whiskers. Legs are short but powerful. Feet are webbed. The tail is long and tapered toward the tip. Males are slightly larger than females.

Protection: In California, the river otter is fully protected under law and may not be hunted or captured.

Sources: www.otternet.com, California Dept. of Fish and Game