Woman Attacked By An Otter While Watching Friend Run A Marathon

A woman who was simply trying to support a friend ended up attacked by a wild animal, and it's none of the ones you'd think of.

Erin Hogston was a couple hours away from home, watching some friends compete in a marathon.

“I just wanted to cheer them on, I got up really early,” she said.

She found a spectator spot near a park and moved further up the path to find herself a better view.

“I walked out a little further from the aid station onto the trail just because I wanted to surprise them and I’d be easy to see,” she said.

After a few minutes, she started hearing loud rustling in some bushes behind where she was standing.

“At first I was like ‘this is a bear,’” Hogston told WECT. “It sounded huge, I was like ‘oh God, I need to get away.’”

She started to run away, but tripped and fell, leaving some scrapes on her hand. It was when she was down that she felt something chomp down on her ankle - an otter, attacking.

“Otters, as a general rule, are not aggressive around humans,” N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission biologist Falyn Owens said. “Most people enjoy having them around, so a situation like this is extremely unusual.”

Unusual and rare, yes. Since 1875, there have only been 59 documented otter attacks worldwide. To put it in perspective, 20 people a year die from lightning strikes.

Wildlife officials said the most likely reason for an attack would've been rabies, or self-defense, but either way, Erin is going through rabies treatment to be safe.

Talking to WRAL, Erin said she's had six rabies shots and has to return for more injections over the next few months - which will amount to a few thousand dollars worth of treatment.

Read more at WRAL