Woman Left With 38 Stitches After ‘Ruthless’ Otter Attack While Swimming in Lake Tahoe: ‘It Just Kept Coming’

Swim instructor Lynnette Bellin thought another swimmer had grabbed her leg during a morning swim in Lake Tahoe. Instead, the Reno resident looked down and realized she was being attacked by a wild otter near Hidden Beach in Incline Village on Sunday, Aug. 30.

Bellin had been swimming in Lake Tahoe for about 30 minutes when the animal suddenly grabbed her leg. She has been swimming in the lake for 25 years and has called it her favorite place to swim, according to a video posted to her Instagram, making the encounter especially frightening.

The attack left Bellin with scratches across her face, legs and feet and bloodied hands. She ultimately needed 38 stitches and rabies shots, while emergency responders were dispatched after the incident.

She Thought It Was a Person Until She Looked Down

Bellin initially believed another person had grabbed her in the water, but she quickly realized she was dealing with an otter. She tried pushing the animal away, but it continued attacking her. “I swear it was a 5-minute attack!” Bellin wrote in an Instagram post, saying the animal “just kept coming for me” as she yelled and tried to defend herself.

Getting out of the water did not immediately end the encounter. Bellin said the otter followed her onto a rock and continued coming at her with its teeth and claws before she climbed onto a larger rock. The animal kept circling, prompting Bellin to climb a fence and walk barefoot along the East Shore Bike Trail to escape.

Bellin’s injuries required 38 stitches and rabies shots, and three police cars, a fire truck and an ambulance were dispatched following the attack. A game warden later visited her home to take a report, while officials searched the water by boat with plans to trap the otter.

The incident has also changed how Bellin views the lake where she has spent years swimming. She said she is now afraid to return to Lake Tahoe, despite previously considering it her favorite place to swim.

The attack appears to have been highly unusual for the area, even as California’s bear problem has brought more attention to encounters between people and wild animals. People Bellin spoke with said they had never heard of an otter attacking someone in Lake Tahoe, while Nevada Department of Wildlife public information officer Kenzie Margiott told KCRA 3 that the area’s otter population has been growing for about 15 years and sightings have become more frequent.

Experts still say violent encounters between otters and humans are rare. Megan Isadore, executive director of the River Otter Ecology Project, told CBS News that Bellin may have gotten too close to a mother otter and her pups.

“They can be frightened of us. They’re usually not after us,” Isadore said, explaining that otters may not understand why people are nearby. Unexpected animal encounters can be especially jarring when wildlife appears in places where people have no reason to expect it.

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