Think of the cutest animal you can. Would it be a dog? A fox? A rabbit? I wouldn't say otters are at the top of your list, but they surely wouldn't be at the bottom, right? Well, for one North Carolina woman, that thought was turned on its head when an otter attacked her.
As reported by People, Erin Hogston was watching her friends compete in a marathon in Cary, North Carolina, when the otter attack happened.
At first, she thought it was a bear, as it "sounded huge," she recounted. She told herself, "Oh God, I need to get away". But as she ran, she found another animal coming after her—not a bear, but an otter.
The worst part was that she had to go and get rabies shots after the incident. And those don't come cheap. She said she had to pay thousands of dollars just to get them. Not so cute now, right?
And that seemed to be the consensus of everyone she talked to about the incident. "Everybody was like, 'Wow, we thought they were nice, we thought they were cute,'" she said.
Her advice to any otter-fearing individuals? "Be aware of your surroundings. You never know what's going to be out on those trails."
Videos by Wide Open Country
Wildlife Officials Have No Clue Why the Otter Attacked Her
This is one of only 59 documented otter attacks since 1875. And only one other attack has ever been recorded in North Carolina. So, it's a really rare occurrence.
But why did it happen? Wildlife officials say that one of two reasons could be the cause of the attack, but they really can't be 100% sure. One is rabies, which causes animals to become feral and attack for no reason. And the other is self-defense.
I guess running away might not have been the best option—did the otter feel threatened? But I'm no expert.
Apparently, a 2011 review found that otter attacks were most likely to happen in Florida. But they realistically can happen anywhere. So, while it's important to be on your guard, an otter attack happening to you isn't the most likely thing to happen.
Maybe buy a lottery ticket if it does?
