River Otter Attacks Boy At Marina, Drags Him Off Dock And Underwater

A river otter attacked a child at a marina in Bremerton, Washington, pulling the boy underwater and biting him before he was rescued by his mother. The rare attack occurred on Thursday (September 12) morning as the child and his mother were walking on a dock at the Bremerton Marina in Kitsap County, according to the state's Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) news release.

The child sustained scratches and bites to the top of his head, face, and legs and was treated at a local hospital. The mother told authorities that the river otter pulled her son into the water and dragged him underneath.

"The child's mother was able to lift the child out of the water while the otter continued to attack and was subsequently bit in the arm. The river otter continued to pursue the family as they left the dock," the agency said in a news release .

Ken Balazs , with WDFW, said the child sustained only minor injuries "due to the mother's quick actions and child's resiliency."

The otter was captured and taken to the Washington Animal Disease Diagnostic Lab for further evaluation and testing for rabies.

While river otters are common in Washington, encounters with the animals are rare. According to the agency, just six other human-river otter incidents have been documented in the state in the last decade.