DW: Can you maim with cuteness?
A Nevada swim instructor says a routine swim in Lake Tahoe turned terrifying when a river otter attacked her near Hidden Beach. Lynnette Bellin, 51, said the animal grabbed her leg and kept biting and scratching as she tried to get away. Even after she reached some rocks, the otter continued circling nearby. Bellin suffered cuts to her face, hands, and foot and needed 38 stitches, including 22 in one foot.
She has been swimming in the lake for about 25 years and runs a survival swim school, but said the attack has shaken her sense of safety in a place she once viewed as peaceful. Bellin hopes to return to open-water swimming eventually, though she may choose a different part of the lake.
Source: NY Post