Posted on 09/27/2021 1:20:51 PM PDT by BenLurkin
The Alaska Department of Fish and Game (ADF&G) urges Anchorage residents to be alert around local lakes and rivers, where a group of river otters recently attacked people and their pets.
On September 1, a child was chased and bitten by a group of four river otters near Dowling and Lake Otis. This week another woman was bitten while rescuing her dog from a similar group of river otters at University Lake. A second report of an otter attacking a dog was received on the same day from a different area of the lake. River otter attacks in Anchorage, while rare, have been reported over the last several years. River otter groups are typically comprised of either a mother with young, or associated bachelor males. The group composition of river otters responsible for the recent attacks is unknown.
River otters may travel long distances over land or by utilizing interconnected waterways, and it is possible that the same group of river otters were responsible for the attacks at both locations. River otters have not been reported at the site of the September 1 incident since that time.
Because of the risk to public safety, efforts will be made to locate this group of river otters and remove them. Care will be taken to only remove the animals exhibiting these unusual behaviors. Due to their aggressive behavior toward people and pets, it is likely they would continue those actions in any new environment, making relocation problematic as it would simply move the dangerous behavior to another location.
Protecting the public by minimizing dangerous human-wildlife interactions is a priority for ADF&G. River otters are present in many areas of the Anchorage Municipality and removal of this group of river otters will not remove the entire population from the area. Any animals lethally removed will be tested for rabies due to their unusually aggressive behavior. There has not been a reported case of rabies in river otters in southcentral Alaska in recent years, however the possibility of disease concern remains.
All river otter sightings in Anchorage, or any wildlife behaving aggressively toward humans, should be reported to the nearest ADF&G office during regular business hours, or by filing a report online at http://www.adfg.alaska.gov and clicking the "Report a Wildlife Encounter" button. For immediate public safety concerns, please call 9-1-1
Swimming raccoons. They can open a cooler in 5 seconds.
The ottrs are not the only animals in Alaska displaying strange behavior. Numerous reports of bears doing this as well. The DNR rangers are saying this is directly related to how humans hibernated during COVID and the animals took back the land. It was an interesting read on how more bears were sighted fishing in a stream above a waterfall that few spottings occurred daily. Bears were getting closer and even in the area that tourists usually frequented in the summer time.
There otter be a law.
If only we could be like otters when dealing with invaders in our territory.
“People are getting too close to the otters’ homes and offspring.”
Another defended thing is their food. Though their tendency when confronted is to dive and flee, otters can be aggressive when defending their food source from a perceived threat. And consider they are in the phylum of the weasel, racoon, badger, honey bear, and wolverine family. Not to be trifled with as they can eat your face off. But if you leave them alone, they won’t generally bother anyone even though they were almost hunted to extinction as late as the 1800’s for fur.
wy69
Is that the guilty Kav?
Maybe it’s Otter Mating Season.
They don’t want any people around, messing with the ‘ambiance’ or the Feng Shui stuff.
I say again, WHO YA GONNA CALL?
Order, not phylum. And honey bears and ‘coons are not mustelids.
Aggressive Moose, Caribou, Polar and Kodiak bears not enough of a threat? They have to add River itters to the mix?
Thank goodness - an Otter - Animal House connection.
Casual Geographic is an interesting YouTube channel, totally ruins any preconceived notions of anything wholesome involving animals.
“Order, not phylum. And honey bears and ‘coons are not mustelids.”
The phylum thing was in jest. And I should have pronounced it honey badger instead. According to the San Diego Zoo, Honey badgers (Mellivora capensis), also known as ratels, are members of the weasel family and not actually badgers. Thank you. And in reading a few articles about raccoons the major difference is that Raccoons are far more destructive and threatening. Very close though. The omnivorous and mostly nocturnal mammals are part of the family Procyonidae, But as I read I find the mustelids are in the weasel family. Kind of confusing.
https://synapsida.blogspot.com/2011/09/world-of-weasels.html
wy69
Mustelidae is the weasel family.
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