A Reno swim instructor has undergone 38 stitches and received rabies shots after a territorial encounter with a wild otter in Lake Tahoe. Lynnette Bellin described the attack as a five-minute battle that left her injured and shaken.
Bellin, who has been swimming in Lake Tahoe for 25 years, stated she was unaware that otters inhabited the lake until the incident occurred approximately 30 minutes into her swim on a Sunday. She was following a route she had been swimming weekly since July.
"At first I thought it was a person pulling on me because it was so strong," Bellin told the Reno Gazette Journal. "I haven't seen anyone else out there swimming, so I wasn't sure. And then I felt the teeth and claws, and it was relentless."
She reported that the more she struggled against the animal, the more aggressive it became. During the altercation, Bellin attempted to throw the otter off, but it responded by biting and clawing her hands and face.
Despite her calls for help, bystanders on a nearby bike trail could not hear her. Bellin eventually reached some slippery rocks and, as she tried to climb out of the water, the otter continued to pursue her. She managed to escape by climbing onto a larger rock. The otter reportedly circled the area before she was able to climb over a fence to the bike trail and make her way back to her starting point barefoot and bleeding.
Emergency services, including police, firefighters, and an ambulance, met her. Bellin subsequently drove herself to an emergency room, where she received 38 stitches and was administered rabies shots.
"Swimming in Lake Tahoe is my absolute favorite thing to do. It is my peace and my sanctuary. I feel like that was robbed from me after the otter attack," Bellin said in a video shared after her hospital visit. The incident serves as a reminder of potential encounters with wildlife in natural settings.