A Montana woman was mauled by an aggressive otter while tubing down a river, resulting in facial injuries that required stitches and a portion of her ear being bitten off.
The incident took place on the Jefferson River near Bozeman, where the woman, identified as Jen Royce and her two friends were enjoying an evening of leisurely tubing on Wednesday.
According to Royce, the otter unexpectedly attacked them just after 8 p.m. as they were floating down the river.
“I saw one otter right behind my friend before it attacked. I didn’t even have a chance to get the words ‘there is an otter behind you’ out of me before it attacked her.” Royce said.
“It bit my face in several places, both of my ears, by arms, my hands, my legs, my thighs, and my ankle,” she added.
The attack occurred in a deep section of the river, making it difficult for the trio to defend themselves.
“My friends were bit on the hands and on their bottoms. One friend’s thumb was SHREDDED and she has bite marks all over her body as well,” Royce said.
“The water was definitely where they excelled in their attack and we were helpless. I tried to kick it away but I would just get attacked somewhere else,” she added.
The encounter left the three friends separated after the altercation. Royce was left bleeding on one side of the river, another friend on the opposite bank, and the third stranded on a rock in the middle of the water.
“I tried to hold it back at one point by grabbing its arm to hold it away while trying to swim closer to shore. Once I had my feet under me I was able to fight back better and was eventually able to pull myself out of the river. It swam away after that.”
One of the friends managed to keep hold of their phone and used its SOS feature to call for assistance. However, the remote location posed challenges for dispatchers trying to locate them for rescue efforts.
Nearly an hour after seeking help, the group spotted approaching siren lights in the distance.
Paramedics eventually arrived on the scene, airlifting Royce to an emergency room where she underwent surgery to address her injuries.
“Besides my face, I have puncture wounds to my left ankle, both legs, back of my right thigh, both arms, both hands, and all fingers. My left ear is split in half from the top to the bottom and is being held together with some kind of yellow bandage and stitches on both sides,” Royce said
“I have lost almost half of my right ear. But I am lucky, and I am grateful, and I am alive.”
Despite the common perception of otters as playful creatures, Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks caution that they can exhibit aggression if their young or food resources are threatened.
