‘Extremely unusual’: Woman attacked by otter while watching friends run marathon

CARY, N.C. (WECT/Gray News) – A woman in southeastern North Carolina said she was attacked by an otter while watching friends compete in a marathon.

“I just wanted to cheer them on, I got up really early,” Erin Hogston said, adding that she traveled more than two hours from her home for the race.

Hogston found a spectator spot near a park but decided to move further up the trail to get a better view.

“I walked out a little further from the aid station onto the trail, because I wanted to surprise them and I’d be easy to see,” Hogston said.

Not long after, she heard rustling in the bushes behind her. At first, she thought it was a bear.

She ran, trying to get away, but fell, leaving scrapes and cuts on her hands. Marks left on her ankles, however, came from an otter.

Attacks like this are extremely rare. There have been only 59 documented otter attacks worldwide since 1875.

By comparison, an estimated 20 people on average die each year after being struck by lightning in the U.S., according to the National Weather Service.

North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission biologist Falyn Owens said otters are not typically a threat.

“Otters, as a general rule, are not aggressive around humans,” Owens said. “Most people enjoy having them around, so a situation like this is extremely unusual.”

Wildlife officials said the attack could have happened for various reasons, including that the otter was acting in self-defense or might have had rabies.

Hogston received six rabies shots and will still need more.

“I had to wait for a few hours in the ER, and when I checked in, they were like ‘you got bit by what?’” she said. “I was like ‘an otter.’ They said, ‘Well, that’s a first.’”

Only one other documented otter attack is on record in North Carolina, wildlife officials said.