Encounter with mother otter at California national park sends visitor to the hospital [View all]

[yortsed snacilbuper]

The man was swimming in Manzanita Lake on June 25 when he was bitten by a female river otter, park spokesman Kevin Sweeney told The Times on Tuesday. The man was hospitalized with "significant injuries," including scratches and puncture wounds that caused bleeding, but they did not appear to be life threatening, Sweeney said.

It is unclear what prompted the incident, but officials believe that the man may have gotten too close to the female otter's kittens, prompting her to aggressively react.

"We're still watching her and we have wildlife biologist out there in the field making sure that she's still in that area," Sweeney said. "So for now, we're giving her space. We're keeping visitors out of her home. It's a good reminder for us in national parks that we are visitors and that our wildlife has their right to raise their babies in these places. And so, from time to time, we need to take a couple steps back and let them do that."

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