Otters
- www.telegraph.co.uk Gang of wild otters mauls jogger
Woman, 40, badly hurt in park after eight of the carnivorous creatures launch early-morning attack
headline: Gang of wild otters mauls jogger
subheadline: Woman, 40, badly hurt in park after eight of the carnivorous creatures launch early-morning attack
Lilia Sebouai 11 September 2024 • 4:08pm
The otters were filmed running across a car park moments before the attack
A group of wild otters viciously attacked a woman jogging in an inner-city park in Malaysia.
Mariasella Harun, 40, was chased and mauled by eight of the mammals on Wednesday morning in Tanjung Aru, in the northern Sabah state of Borneo island.
A graphic video of the aftermath showed the victim huddled on a pavement with deep gashes visible on her arms, as blood streaked her temple, T-shirt and leggings.
Another clip captured the bevy of otters – each as big as a small dog, with slick dark hair – charging across a car park moments before the attack.
Mariasella Harun, 40, was badly hurt in the attack
It is the latest in a series of incidents involving humans and otters in the area. A man was recently taken to hospital after another unprovoked attack.
Otter attacks are increasing across the whole of South-East Asia, according to wildlife authorities.
Despite their somewhat cuddly appearance, otters have teeth and jaws that are strong enough to crack open shellfish.
They can weigh up to 14kg and grow up to 4ft, including their tail.
Ms Harun said she fought off the animals for what felt like five minutes until other joggers came to her aid.
She described finding herself suddenly surrounded by the pack after they “jumped out” from a drain in Perdana Park at about 6am local time.
“At first, I thought it was a cat, but the creature jumped out and bit me while I was running, and there were many of them ... I could not even stand up when it happened,” she told local media.
Ms Harun was then taken to a nearby hospital as a wildlife team was sent to monitor the otters.
Roland Niun, the director of the Sabah Wildlife Department, said the otters might have seen Ms Harun “as a threat to their cubs and reacted defensively”.
“Otters generally avoid humans, and their perceived cuteness might lead some to mistakenly believe they are friendly and tame,” he said. “It is not advisable to approach them, as they can bite when provoked.”
A medical team at the scene on Wednesday morning
Mr Niun said a family of otters, including six adults and two cubs, had frequently been seen hunting for fish in the park’s lake.
He said the fence around the park would be reinforced and warned the public not to “feed them or provoke them in any way”.
The adoption of otters as household pets has become a growing trend across Malaysia, Thailand and Vietnam.
However, a recent report found that 60 per cent of the animals seized by authorities in South-East Asia were headed for Japan, according to Traffic Japan, a group monitoring the illegal wildlife trade.
The trapping and export of otters is illegal in many countries, but the carnivores are often freely traded online.
In Indonesia, otter owners often join online communities and organise meet-ups to show off their pets, even parading them on leashes in the streets of Jakarta on Sundays.
Video
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In case the video doesn't load properly: https://imgur.com/gallery/pants-inspector-pVKWJSP
EDIT: I guess everything with the word "pants" in it gets automatically flagged as NSFW by imgur ...? It's harmless, I promise.
(Not my own video - I just found it on imgur and thought it would be nice to share it here)
cross-posted from: https://lemmy.ca/post/23517604
> Link to patient profile: https://mmrpatients.org/patient/el2401-female-otter-pup-name-tbd/ > > Patient Record (as of 2024-06-20) > >
> Species: Sea Otter > Patient ID: EL2401 > Admitted on: 2024/06/17 > Collection Site: Wikkaninnish Island > Reason for Admission: Maternal separation > Weight at Admission: 2.10 kg > Patient Status: in care > Time in Care: 2 days > Current Habitat: Hospital (Intensive Care) >
> > Photos: > > ! > > ! > > ! > > ! > > !- • 100%
Mostly...
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Best buds
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Direct Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U4nh4gDeDw0
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Otter hugs
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Otter beans
- • 100%www.inquirer.com A river otter took a selfie in Ridley Creek, ending a 100-year absence for ‘the most elusive aquatic animal in Pa.’
The sighting shows that the revival of the animal, which was once nearly extirpated from Pennsylvania, continues throughout the region.
cross-posted from: https://lemmy.ml/post/15413239
> The sighting shows that the revival of the animal, which was once nearly extirpated from Pennsylvania, continues throughout the region. > > The river otter ogled the camera, posing for an inadvertent selfie on a chilly winter night. The adult critter explored its surroundings for 45 minutes before slipping off into the darkness, ever elusive. > > The unexpected December cameo marked the first known presence of a river otter along the Ridley Creek watershed in Chester County for 100 years, signifying that the revival of the animal, once nearly extirpated from Southeastern Pennsylvania, continues throughout the region. > > “We haven’t caught much else by way of footage, but a homeowner has reported seeing it swim in their pond just few weeks ago, which is a good sign that it’s hanging out in the area,” said Lauren McGrath, director of the watershed protection program for the Willistown Conservation Trust, a nonprofit in Chester County. > > McGrath’s team installed a game camera on private property to monitor beaver on private land near where the trust recently acquired 90 acres of the 218-acre Kirkwood Farm at Plumstock and Providence Roads in Willistown. > > More in link.
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cross-posted from: https://discuss.tchncs.de/post/13959906
> Baby otter in the water