Woman attacked by sea otter at Lake Tahoe was bruised, bloodied but sure one skill saved her
This is read by an automated voice.Please report any issues or inconsistencies here.
See more from the L.A.Times in Google Search.
Set us as preferred Lynnette Bellin’s personal mission is to teach what she says is a “critical life skill”: swimming.She found out just how critical that skill was when desperately trying to escape a violent sea otter.
On Sunday, the infant swimming resource instructor was swimming along the east shore at Hidden Beach, a secluded public beach within Lake Tahoe-Nevada State Park, she posted on social media.Bellin had been swimming for about 30 minutes when she felt something grab her leg.
The Times reached out to Bellin for comment but did not get a response before publication.“I thought it was a person until I saw the otter, and then it kept coming at me with teeth and claws,” she said on Instagram.
“I tried to push it away, but this thing was relentless.”Video of the instructor after the attack shows her wearing a bright pink sun shirt, swim cap and swimsuit bottoms, and she is heavily splattered with blood.Bellin has visible bloody lacerations to her nose, face, hand and legs.During the attack, the woman swam toward a rock to get away from the animal, but she said the otter climbed onto the rock and continued to strike her.
“I finally climbed up on a bigger rock and got away from it, but it kept circling the area, so I knew I couldn’t get back in the water,” Bellin said on social media.After successfully climbing over some large rocks and a fence, Bellin made her way to the East Shore Bike Trail and walked barefoot and injured back to the beach.The Nevada Department of Wildlife was alerted of the attack just before 10 a.m., said Kenzie Margiott, a spokesperson for the agency.
Department staff searched for the otter to assess whether the animal was still in the area or displaying any abnormal or concerning behavior, Margiott said.But it had vanished from the area.
“Without locating and examining th...