Otter captured, euthanized after attacking child in WA

Child injured in otter attack at WA marina

A young boy was attacked and dragged off a dock by a river otter in Bremerton, and Fish and Wildlife officials are speaking on the violent encounter.

BREMERTON, Wash. - A young child was attacked by a river otter Thursday morning at the Bremerton Marina in Kitsap County. The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) confirmed the child was transported to the hospital with scratches and bites, but is expected to recover.

The incident occurred Thursday morning as the child and their mother walked down the dock. According to Matt Blankenship with WDFW, the otter dragged the child into the water.

"The mother was able to grab the child from the water pull him back up onto the dock and the otter proceeded to chase them down the dock," explained Blankenship. "Lets face it, otters, they’re small, they’re cute, they’re fuzzy critters and sometimes we forget that these cute animals are wild animals."

WDFW officers contacted the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Wildlife Services, who trapped and lethally removed one river otter from the marina. The otter was transported to the Washington Animal Disease Diagnostic Lab for further evaluation, including rabies testing.

River otters are relatively common in Washington, where they inhabit fresh, brackish, and saltwater habitats. While attacks on humans are rare, they can be territorial and unpredictable.

"Otters are incredibly adept swimmers, and they’re mostly found near water bodies," said Blankenship. "We share a really great place to live with the wildlife here in the Puget Sound and I don’t want people to be afraid of the wildlife around us, but they certainly deserve our respect."

While the family involved in the recent otter attack at Bremerton Marina remains private, other victims of rare otter assaults have shared their harrowing experiences in the past.

In 2014, Radek Bazant told FOX 13 Seattle he was floating the Pilchuck River when an otter launched a vicious attack from below.

"The cute little otter was not so cute," Bazant recalled. "It was snarling... like a rogue otter."