A group of wild otters viciously attacked a woman jogging in an inner-city park in Malaysia.
Mariasella Harun, 40, was chased and mauled by eight of the mammals on Wednesday morning in Tanjung Aru, in the northern Sabah state of Borneo island.
A graphic video of the aftermath showed the victim huddled on a pavement with deep gashes visible on her arms, as blood streaked her temple, T-shirt and leggings.
Another clip captured the bevy of otters – each as big as a small dog, with slick dark hair – charging across a car park moments before the attack.
It is the latest in a series of incidents involving humans and otters in the area. A man was recently taken to hospital after another unprovoked attack.
Otter attacks are increasing across the whole of South-East Asia, according to wildlife authorities.
Despite their somewhat cuddly appearance, otters have teeth and jaws that are strong enough to crack open shellfish.
They can weigh up to 14kg and grow up to 4ft, including their tail.
I once got to go behind the scenes at a zoo, including their vet’s operating room. They had a bunch of interesting stories about how they tranq and operate on different animals of various sizes, but the worst experience they had was with an otter.
Poor little guy woke up partway through surgery, panicked, and went fucking berserk. Those little claws left gouges a foot long and an inch deep in the vet. And then, because they’re so small and fast, trying to re-anaesthetize it was a huge pain.
Anyways, I think about that story a lot when I hear about otters.
Thank you for sharing. That sounds unfortunate for everyone involved, including the otter.