After a man was attacked while hanging in his hammock last week, this marks another incident in a string of unprovoked wildlife attacks in a summer that is only about half over.
Floating with two other friends, Jen Royce recanted the story in a Facebook post from a hospital bed in Bozeman. “Around 8:15 pm the otters attacked us. It lasted maybe 5 minutes? I really cannot remember. We were in the middle of the river in a deep and wide stretch that went far back from the road and behind the mountains. I saw one otter right behind my friend before it attacked. I didn’t even have a chance to get the words ‘there is an otter behind you’ out before it attacked her.”
The otter then set its sights on Royce and moved in for an even worse attack. Royce reportedly received the brunt of the attack and sustained the worst injuries of the group. “The thing was vicious and relentless. It bit my face in several places, both my ears, my arms, my hands, my thighs, and my ankle…One friend’s thumb was shredded and she has bite marks all over her body as well.”
The trio managed to fight back and get enough space between them and their attacker to make it to shore. The otter retreated shortly thereafter and the victims made the necessary calls for help.
After a frantic 911 call, several agencies responded, including Montana Highway Patrol, Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office, Jefferson Valley Ambulance, and Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks, Life Flight and a local landowner.
According to Royce, it took authorities roughly 60 minutes to arrive at the scene where she did her best to stay alert and awake. Royce described the wait as ‘hell’ and thought for a moment that she might not make it through the ordeal.
Given her injuries, she was airlifted to hospital in Bozeman, where rabies and tetanus shots were administered as a precaution. In addition to that, Royce received hundreds of stitches on her legs, arms, hands and fingers and underwent surgery for the injuries sustained to her face and ears.
Despite losing half of her left ear and the undeniable physical damage to her body, Royce’s spirits remain high. Her post closed out by thanking all of the responding agencies, as well as the emergency responders and those at the hospital who have been working so hard to piece her back together. “I am lucky, and I am grateful, and I am alive,” her post read.
Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks published a release following the incident reminding everyone that while these attacks are rare, otters can be aggressive particularly when their young are present. They advise anyone to act as these women did and fight back if you ever find yourself in a similar situation.
