A grandmother and grandson were victims of a rare attack by a river otter.
A grandmother and grandson were victims of a rare attack by a river otter.
They have returned home from the hospital after being treated for their wounds.
The young boy was swimming in the Pilchuck River in Washington state when he was mauled by a river otter.
His grandmother saw what was happening and ran over to help him.
While she was pulling the otter off, it attacked her, biting and scratching her face and body.
At the hospital, the boy had to get nine staples in his head, and his grandmother had to get hundreds of stitches.
She also suffered trauma to her right eye, which might cause minor long-term damage.
Experts think that the young boy might have gotten too close to the otter pups, triggering the unusually violent behavior from the mother otter.
Sergeant Jennifer Maurstad from the Washington State Department of Fish and Wildlife is quoted as saying: "We've decided if it's a male, it'd probably be euthanized. If it's a female with pups, it would probably be relocated."
Although the reason behind the attack is unknown, the grandmother said she wants people to know what happened so they can be aware of the potential danger.
