KANE ANTHONY

September 28, 2021

by kane mcdermott

Throughout the gorgeous state of Alaska, river otters can be found near lakes, ponds, and you guessed it, rivers! For most, seeing these otters peacefully go-about their day is a real treat for the citizens. However, somewhere in the unforgiving terrain near the city of Anchorage roams a pack of river otters that aren’t quite as peaceful.

This rogue pack of river otters have been linked to several attacks on humans and dogs in the area and are believed to also be responsible for giving a nine-year-old child rabies after biting them several times.

City officials advise extra caution around rivers, creeks, ponds, and lakes while the rogue otters are still on the loose. In a written statement earlier this week, the Alaska Department of Fish & Game said, “this week, another woman was bitten while rescuing her dog from a similar group [to the one who bite the child] of river otters at University Lake.”

This type of behavior, while not unheard of, is very unusual to see in river otters for extended periods of time. The Alaska Department of Fish & Game is taking this quite seriously as they’ve now stated, “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.”