Woman needed 38 stitches after being attacked by an otter: ‘It felt like it was a human’

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A Nevada woman needed 38 stitches after being attacked by an otter while swimming in Lake Tahoe — with the vicious assault so intense it felt like her attacker “was a human.”

Lynnette Bellin, a swim instructor from Reno who regularly takes a dip in the lake, was swimming near Hidden Beach when she was attacked Sunday morning.

“I try to get up there once or twice a week. It’s my absolute favorite thing to do in the area,” Bellin told KCRA 3. “I find it so peaceful and refreshing and just kind of meditative.

However, during her most recent dip, Bellin said she was yanked underwater by an aggressive otter who left her battered and bloodied.

“I just felt something grab me by my leg and pull me under. And it was so powerful. It felt like it was a human,” Bellin said.

An otter attacked a Nevada woman as she swam in Lake Tahoe over the weekend, leaving her bloody and in need of stitches (AFP/Getty)

“This otter just started coming after me, teeth and claws, and, you know, my only thought was like, I got to get away from this. But it kept following me,” she continued. “I tried to swim away from it at one point, and it was just attacking my feet.”

Bellin described fighting off the otter in the water and climbing out onto the rocks, where the angry creature continued to attack her for at least five minutes.

The aggressive otter left her bloody and with bites and scratches covering her body — later requiring 38 stitches in the emergency room and a rabies shot.

The Nevada Department of Wildlife says otter attacks are rare, as otters tend to avoid humans. Otters who attack tend to do so under stress or if they feel threatened.

The otter followed the woman around Lake Tahoe to attack her, with the assault lasting about five minutes, she recalled (Getty)

“It’s very rare for us to see something like this,” said Kenzie Marigott, a spokesperson for the agency. “The North American river otters are in the entire Tahoe basin in the Truckee River, all the way down to Pyramid Lake and all the connecting waterways. Their population has been increasing for the last 15 years. So, we are seeing more in the area.”

However, it was the first time Bellin had even seen an otter in the lake.

“The only thing I’ve seen in over 20 years of swimming there is minnows and maybe crawdads,” she said.

Bellin says she hopes to return to swimming in the lake, though she will likely scout out a new location.

“It is my favorite place, my favorite activity. I think it’s probably going to influence where I choose to swim,” she said.