The assault occurred close to the city of Cardwell on a distant stretch of the Jefferson River, a tributary of the Missouri River that is widespread with anglers and leisure floaters.
The ladies have been capable of get to shore, the place certainly one of them known as 911, he mentioned.
One girl’s wounds, on her face and arms, have been so extreme that the helicopter was used to fly her out, Jefferson County Undersheriff James Everett mentioned. Her situation on Thursday was unknown. The others had accidents to their arms.
“It’s just not something you run into very often,” Everett said.
“Bears do it, moose too and occasionally a deer, but otters? That’s not normal.”
Jacobsen mentioned one of many ladies noticed two otters beforehand however it was unclear what number of have been concerned within the assault.
Northern river otters are members of the weasel household and may attain as much as 9 kilograms — as heavy as a small canine — and as much as 1.2 metres lengthy. They primarily eat fish.
They can use their enamel and claws to chunk and scratch, Jacobsen mentioned.
“If folks are attacked by an otter, our recommended response is to fight back, get away and get out of the water,” he mentioned.
Warning indicators have been posted at entry factors alongside the Jefferson River within the space of the assault.
No otters have been seen there since Wednesday and there might be no efforts to catch or take away any of the animals as a result of it is believed to have been a defensive assault, he mentioned.
Two years in the past, a 12-year-old boy on an inside tube was attacked however not significantly damage by an otter on Montana’s Big Hole River.
Last month in California, a sea otter gained widespread consideration for aggressively wrestling surfboards from surfers off the coast of Santa Cruz.
Source: www.9news.com.au
