LAKELAND, Fla. (WSVN) — An alarming attack sent a girl to the hospital with multiple bite marks from an otter. The outraged otter forced its way into a home leading a mother to take action to make sure her family was safe.
We don’t often hear about aggressive river otters, but by fighting its way inside a home in South Lakeland, experts said this otter was definitely not acting normal.
“My husband’s like, ‘Case, you just alligator wrangled an otter in the living room!'” said Casina Ewert, the victim’s mother.
The otter learned that you don’t mess with a mother’s instincts.
“I think life is full of surprises, and you should just be ready for whatever,” said Casina.
This wild story started after 17-year-old Gwyn Ewert let their dog, Scooter, out before dawn Tuesday morning. It didn’t take long for Scooter to find an enemy.
“I sprinted to the backdoor, and I was like, ‘Scooter!'” said Gwyn. “All I saw was like a big black ball just all over the place, so he stumbled in the door, and I tried to shut it as fast as possible, but then the otter got stuck.”
By this time, the whole house was awake, and Gwyn’s mother rushed in.
“He and the dog are in a big tangled tumbleweed, spinning around in here,” said Casina.
Then mom handled business.
“I grabbed it. This is the chair. I walked by this chair, and I was like, ‘Somebody open the door!’ Screaming with it,” said Casina, “and it grabbed on it, and it was like pulling the chair back, and he was like, ‘Eeek!'”
Casina tossed the otter outside and discovered that it had bitten her daughter.
“After the fact, I had lifted up my pant leg,” said Gwyn. “My leg was shaking, and there was drips of blood all over the floor.”
Several rabies shots later, Gwyn and Scooter are now on the mend.
Now, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission is trying to find the otter. A neighbor took a video of an otter in the area later that day.
“I hope he comes up right here in front of me,” said the owner of All Creatures Wildlife Control Dustin Hooper.
Hooper took a look around for the otter.
“If it happens, just hold my sunglasses,” said Hooper.
He said he’s never seen an otter act like this.
“Any time an otter’s on shore going for a human, there’s something not right,” said Hooper. “Usually they see you, they’re gone.”
The otter still hasn’t been caught. the FWC set up traps to catch the animal.
The agency said they received reports of an aggressive otter attacking another dog as well.
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