Three vacationers were attacked in early August in the northwestern United States as they floated down a river. One of them, more seriously injured, had to be airlifted. She chronicled the attack on her social media.
On August 2, while they were calmly descending the Jefferson River on buoys, in the American state of Montana, three vacationers were injured by an otter. One of them, whose injuries were the most serious, had to be airlifted to hospital.
In a social media postalso relayed by CNN, this American, Jen Royce, recounted the attack she suffered. “I didn’t even have time to hear the words ‘there’s an otter behind you’ before it attacked,” said the mother, injured in the face, arms, ears, hands, legs and ankles.
“I was covered in blood”
When she tried to free herself, the animal continued to bite her. The three women eventually made it back to shore, and the otter gave up its pursuit. “Without exaggerating (…) I didn’t think I was going to get out of this river. I had no idea if my friends were going to get out of it,” said the American.
The vacationers then manage to contact the emergency services. “I was covered in blood and it kept pouring out of my face and nose. It was cold. We were wet. It was dark,” Jen Royce recalled. The area being remote and the emergency services having difficulty in locating them, one of the two friends of Jen Royce had to travel three kilometers to show them the way. “Extremely weak”, the mother of the family asks her friend to watch over her children, thinking that she would not survive.
“I can’t explain how I felt seeing those lights. I had hope again. They found us. We weren’t alone anymore,” she wrote.
Several operations
Jen Royce had to have surgery on her face and ears, in addition to numerous stitches. “I’m lucky, and I’m grateful, and I’m alive,” she concluded, adding that she has since returned home.
After the attack, natural areas authorities in Montana warned the public, recommending that they stay away from otters: “Although otter attacks are rare, otters may seek to protect” their young, their space and food. In the event of an otter attack, authorities recommend “fighting” and then fleeing as soon as possible.
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2023-08-13 11:29:00
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