Man says he was attacked by otters when swimming in lake

PLACER COUNTY, Calif. — A man said he was attacked by otters and was bitten at least 12 times while swimming at Serene Lake in Placer City, California, on Sept. 3.

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Matt Leffers told KCRA he has been visiting his family’s cabin for the last 30 years near the Serena Lakes and he occasionally went swimming. But he was never attacked by otters until his most recent visit.

“I felt something bite my calf,” Leffers said, according to the news station. “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 was left with about 40 puncture wounds all over his body, KCRA reported.

“After the first couple bites, I started screaming for help ... as loud as I could,” Leffers told the Sacramento Bee in a phone interview. “I’ve never done that in my life.”

He was about 120 feet away from the cabin when he was bit. When he turned around, he saw two otters that cornered him, the newspaper reported.

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

A spokesperson for the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, Peter Tira, said, according to the Sacramento Bee that river otter attacks are rare but similar incidents were reported over the summer.

“River otters are cute and charismatic and should be enjoyed from a safe distance,” Tira said, according to the newspaper. “They are equally fast on land as they are in the water and their teeth can inflict a lot of damage.”