Lake Tahoe swim teacher recounts uncommon river otter assault, receiving 38 stitches

LAKA TAHOE, Calif. (KGO) — A Lake Tahoe swimmer is recovering after what’s believed to be a river otter, attacked her throughout a swim alongside the East Shore of the lake on Sunday.

The assault left her with dozens of stitches and accidents to her face, legs and arms.

Lynnette Bellin, a licensed Infant Swimming Resource teacher who teaches self rescue classes, stated she was on her weekly swim within the lake when the encounter occurred.

She stated she had been making an attempt to get again to show a self-rescue lesson when the animal attacked.

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“It ripped the goggles off my face. It got me on the temple, on my cheek, my nose. You can kind of see claw marks there, full on bite marks on this arm. But my foot is the worst because it has 22 stitches,” Bellin stated whereas exhibiting the accidents.

Bellin stated she posted movies to social media instantly afterward exhibiting blood on her physique.

She described the animal pulling her underwater earlier than she realized it was an otter.

“And right before I got there and I got grabbed by the lake, yanked under water. It was so powerful it felt like a human. That’s when I saw the otter and it just did not hesitate. It started coming after me. It was teeth and claws and I was pushing it away,” Bellin describing what she says went on for about 5 minutes.

She stated she finally escaped by counting on her swim coaching and climbing onto a rock. Bellin then recorded video whereas strolling about three-quarters of a mile to Hidden Beach. People who noticed her alongside the best way contacted authorities. Bellin stated officers responding to the incident have been stunned by her account.

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“Every single authority that was coming to do a report on this was like, we’ve never had an otter attack. are you sure it was an otter. Sure looks like what I was fighting off,” she stated.

In a press release, the Nevada Department of Wildlife stated, “River otters are native predators and are found in Lake Tahoe and its surrounding waterways. While attacks on people are uncommon, otters are wild animals and can become aggressive if they feel threatened, cornered or are defending young.”

Bellin stated she believes the encounter occurred as a result of she was swimming near shore to keep away from boat site visitors and that the otter could have been defending its younger.

“I think the most disconcerting thing is that lake Tahoe is always my sanctuary, my peace. I go there to get mental calm and just to regulate myself. I have 38 stitches right now. I can’t swim until those are all healed up. But September is a great time to be swimming in the lake so I’m sure I’ll find myself in there eventually,” Bellin stated.

The Nevada Department of Wildlife stated it’s working with Nevada State Parks to submit indicators within the space alerting guests to the reported incident and reminding the general public to pay attention to their environment and provides wildlife loads of area.