Otter assaults girl swimming in Lake Tahoe. What we all know

Editor’s word: This story contains graphic images that could be disturbing to some readers.

A routine morning swim in Lake Tahoe turned violent for one girl following an otter assault in Reno, Nevada.

The otter attacked Lynnette Bellin on Sunday, Aug. 30 underwater whereas she swam close to Hidden Beach in Incline Village. The otter all of the sudden grabbed her leg and pulled her underwater, she informed the Reno Gazette Journal, a part of the USA TODAY Network.

As a end result, Bellin was left with cuts throughout her face, arm and legs and required 22 stitches and a rabies vaccination.

“At first I thought it was a person pulling on me because it was so strong,” Bellin informed the Gazette Journal on Monday, Aug. 31.

“I haven’t seen anyone else out there swimming, so I wasn’t sure,” she mentioned. “And then I felt the teeth and claws, and it was relentless.

She then turned around and spotted the otter, which was biting and scratching her. As the attack continued, Bellin tried to reach a nearby set of rocks and even threw the otter.

Though she yelled for assist, nobody responded. Still, she managed to exit the water utilizing a set of rocks.

Once again on the seashore, Bellin noticed the otter circling the realm and drove herself to the hospital.

Photos of Bellin’s accidents taken after the incident confirmed Bellin with blood working down her face and left arm and hand. She’d been swimming within the space since July and is knowledgeable swim teacher however has by no means skilled something like what occurred in Lake Tahoe.

The Washoe County Sheriff’s Office, which responded to the incident, searched for the animal on Aug. 30 but was unable to locate it, the Nevada Department of Wildlife told the Gazette Journal.

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Otter assaults in 2026

The incident marks the second otter assault this summer time at Lake Tahoe.

Bob Daly was swimming at Pope Beach on Aug. 9 when an otter attacked him, leaving him with eight bloody chunk and scratch marks, based on South Tahoe Now.

There was additionally an otter assault in Anchorage, Alaska, KTUU reported final month.

What to know about otters in the region

Lake Tahoe is home to Northern river otters.

The creatures are nocturnal but may be active in the early morning and later afternoon in remote areas, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

Populations are listed as stable or increasing in Alabama, Alaska, Arkansas, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Louisiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Montana, New Hampshire, New York, North Carolina, Oregon, Rhode Island, Texas, Vermont, Washington and Wisconsin, per the agency.

Otter assaults may be harmful however are uncommon for probably the most half. According to the Otter Specialist Group, which performed a review of otter attacks in 2011, only 39 attacks have been documented since 1875.

North American otters were most likely to be involved in attacks. The greatest number of attacks were documented in Florida.

Otter attacks have also been reported in British Columbia, California, Georgia, Iowa, Massachusetts, Montana, Montana, New Hampshire, New York, Oregon, Vermont, Virginia, Washington and Wisconsin.

Michelle Del Rey is a trending news reporter at USA TODAY. Reach her at mdelrey@usatoday.com.