Otter Attack On Placer County Swimmer Leaves 40 Bite Wounds

Mountain lion attacks have been commonplace throughout California, but what about otters? A Placer County man can vouch that it’s real. The above video details the harrowing experience a man had while swimming in a Placer County lake (the victim thinks California Department of Fish and Wildlife officers should have the river otters removed). KCRA TV in Sacramento also has some info on the incident:

Matt Leffers has visited his family’s cabin on the shores of Serene Lakes near Lake Tahoe for 30 years and he often goes swimming, but he said nothing could have prepared him for what happened in the water on Sept. 3, 2023: otters attacking him.

“I felt something bite my calf,” Leffers said. “Within seconds, I was bit again. And then I started swimming fast but there was the otter, popped up right in front of me and then I was bit again.”

Leffers said two otters bit him at least a dozen times, and he ended up with around 40 puncture wounds all over his body. He called the encounter a life-and-death situation.

“These things were so aggressive that, literally, I felt like they wanted to kill me,” Leffers said. “It is by far the most terrifying experience I’ve ever had in my life. Nothing even comes close.”