Otter Attacks Woman

Well this is a new one. Seems a cute playfull otter attacked a peaceful woman kayaking…
(Editorial adjectives added)
http://www.fox13news.com/news/local-news/kayaker-attacked-by-possibly-rabid-otter#

That would be a very frightening experience.

We know that hats and PFD are protective gear but this is a new level of protection.

Otters are cute, but they also have lots of teeth

Does bear spray work on otters?

They are small and quick. You might be spraying yourself.

Gonna need yerself six-shotter,
when those toothy cutey otter,
not under collar get at you hotter,
and you can’t expecto patronum Harry Potter.

No need to spray bullets, but a trident may prove prudent!
First it was beavers attacking a year or so ago, and now otters. In Florida you would think gators, but alas it’s the Mad Max Mammals not reprehensible reptiles this time. I make light, but that would be harrowing to experience and in deep water a daunting dangerous defensive action. It was good others were there to help.

“Small and quick”. Not actually that small either - a far cry from the more common mink. They are big enough to easily be able to knock a person over. I woudn’t want to be in that woman’s shoes (or boat).

I was thinking about our river otters. Never seen an ocean otter.

Me too. You might have a different perspective of what constitutes “small” in such a case than I do. I figure that if an animal that commonly weighs 25 to 35 pounds and is far stronger than almost any dog of the same weight launches itself at me with vicious intentions, I wouldn’t be confident I could stay on my feet, or upright in my boat.

For what it’s worth, a buddy of mine has trapped a few (incidental catches which he turned in to the DNR), and I saw one of them. It was a big male that was very close to 40 pounds and solid muscle. My buddy said that others he had caught were nearly that same size.

@castoff said:
No need to spray bullets, but a trident may prove prudent!
First it was beavers attacking a year or so ago, and now otters. In Florida you would think gators, but alas it’s the Mad Max Mammals not reprehensible reptiles this time. I make light, but that would be harrowing to experience and in deep water a daunting dangerous defensive action. It was good others were there to help.

Now, I’m no true advocate of emptying a cylinder of any caliber myself, but I’m almost certain unleashing one of your boomer’s tridents (“Re-targetting one MIRV or two, captain?”) as you cruise up the Braden is gonna play hell with the bankside spanish bayonettes, let alone rest of the understory.

Ohhh, you mean one of those marshmallow forks!

Well, any way ya cut at the critter, you are right. It’s down right daunting! No reasoning with the rabid (or rabbi, for that matter. He’s so old and set in his ways.)

40-pounds for a river otter! Wow. Sounds more like one of those steroid munching sea otters, or perhaps those South American giant otters.

:smiley: