Woman Attacked by Otters

[Ed, Ego and Superego]

Woman says she was repeatedly bitten by otters
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090812/ap_on_fe_st/us_odd_otter_attack

I bet she was disturrbing them.  After all does the bible not say: Do unto otters as you would have them do unto you?

[Doggett]

This story is otterly stupid.




Yeah, that was bad.

[ghouck]

An otter will absolutely KICK YOUR ASS!, those thing are vicious beyond belief. I saw one on the docks in town who was all rattled because her babied were UNDER the dock. She couldn't get to them nor they to her, and she had the entire dock blocked off, nobody would go near. Commercial fishermen and crabbers like those guys on "The Deadliest Catch", , they wouldn't go NEAR her to get to their boat. I've seen them rip clams and scallops apart with total ease.

[AndyC]

But you must admit, it is quite a contrast to the lovable otter's reputation. That's what comes from years of nature films showing otters swimming about on their backs looking all cute and fun-loving. It is weird how being cute can completely warp people's image of a wild carnivore.

[ghouck]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Binky_%28polar_bear%29

[AndyC]

http://www.cracked.com/article_15853_6-cutest-animals-that-can-still-destroy-you.html

[Newt]

Boggles the mind that anyone who can see the TEETH on those animals (otters) would dare to get close.

I don't know anyone who was not firmly on Binky's side in that 'home invasion' incident.

And love that link, AndyC!

I have always been surprised that the 'Disney-fied' or 'Wild Kingdom-esque' effect has not been more widely criticised. It is purely insane.
The area I grew up in had the highest incidence of rabies in North America for many years (could be it still does, I don't know).  Eastern Ontario cottage country: very accessible.  It was common to see tourists pulled over at the side of the road, trying to set up their kid for a cute picture with the 'friendly' (read: obviously SICK) red fox kit standing/wobbling there.     (Yes: we would stop and warn them off - or at least *try* to)  Then there were the fools who flocked to the dump to watch the bears come in to forage of an evening. Quite the tradition of great family entertainment!  Puts one in mind of Roman circuses, hmm?

[meQal]

I have always been surprised that the 'Disney-fied' or 'Wild Kingdom-esque' effect has not been more widely criticised. It is purely insane.
The area I grew up in had the highest incidence of rabies in North America for many years (could be it still does, I don't know).  Eastern Ontario cottage country: very accessible.  It was common to see tourists pulled over at the side of the road, trying to set up their kid for a cute picture with the 'friendly' (read: obviously SICK) red fox kit standing/wobbling there.     (Yes: we would stop and warn them off - or at least *try* to)  Then there were the fools who flocked to the dump to watch the bears come in to forage of an evening. Quite the tradition of great family entertainment!  Puts one in mind of Roman circuses, hmm?

I grew up in the rural Southeastern US, and while we take a lot of kidding for being ignorant rednecks down here, most people here know you don't approach any wild animal, well at least without being armed. I was taught like most folks around here that wild animals are dangerous even if they look cute and cuddly. Even if they appeared in a Disney film it don't mean that they aren't going to hurt you in a panic.
Yeah we shoot animals down here but we have a code about that which is look from a distance but if you shoot it, you got to eat it. Only way you can get out of that is if the animal was sick and/or suffering prior to shooting it. Other than that you can be seriously ostracized from the community as a whole for shooting an animal and not cooking it up. Might explain why we don't have a lot of PETA members and the few we do moved here form elsewhere.

[Newt]

I hear you meQal.  So much of the population is living at a remove from 'nature' that they have *no idea* of what the practical reality is.

The first big dig I was on, a coyote trotted right through the site several times in broad daylight.  In front of three dozen people.  The (pardon the expression) 'city' folk were all "oooh" and "ahhh";  the dig director and I looked at each other and said, "oh oh!"  Gave us a few really bad moments until we figured out she had a den and young nearby - our first concern had been that she was rabid, due to her unusual and bold behaviour.  We were there for six weeks - the coyote relocated.

[AndyC]

A lot of people don't even know how to behave around domestic animals. Parents are happy to just let their kids run up to strange dogs and get in their faces. My daughter is learning that many animals fall into the category of things you don't need to fear, but must also respect. Most dogs have a strong inhibition against biting people, and are quite friendly, but that doesn't mean they aren't faster than you, more agile than you and armed with claws and a head full of big, pointy teeth. Our old Brittany Spaniel, Briar, is a marshmallow, but I've watched him crunch up and swallow a whole raw chicken, bones and all, in a matter of seconds (don't ask). And when my daughter starts playing a little too rough with him, usually backing him into the corner where he likes to hide, I sit both of them down and pull back Briar's flews to show the formidable set of teeth hiding in that cute, droopy face, and remind Ro that a dog is not a toy. It has a mind of its own, and it's quite capable of hurting somebody who pushes it far enough. Heck, Briar has clawed me pretty good just by being excited and clumsy.

The rule with other people's dogs is you first ask permission. I occasionally have to stop her and remind her of this. And many owners completely undermine it by saying "Oh, it's all right, he's friendly." Twits. But then, a few owners will warn you that their dogs aren't fond of kids, and they appreciate the courtesy. Anyway, once you have permission, then you approach slowly, let him sniff your hand, then reach around behind his head, not over his face, to pet him. If the dog tries to retreat, let him. Don't pursue. And never approach a strange dog if the owner isn't around. And at 4, Ro already has some understanding of a dog's body language, enough to tell whether it likes what you're doing.

Same with a lot of other things. Wild animals, in general, are to be watched from a distance, unless it's something like a chipmunk. I've taught my daughter to be fascinated by bugs and spiders, but also that some of them can bite, and a few are very poisonous. Horses are usually friendly, but they are also very big, very heavy and very strong, so don't put your feet where a horse might accidentally step on them, and stay away from his rear end, because he might decide to kick, and a few other simple rules we usually go over if we visit somebody's farm, like my wife's uncle who has Clydesdales. Actually, he's down in the same neck of the woods as Newt.

It's not really difficult to strike that balance. You have no reason to fear any animal, but you do need to know what they're capable of, and use your head. But most parents seem to go either toward irrational fear or in most cases, toward complete blissful ignorance. Respect is what it's all about.

[BoyScoutKevin]

Are we sure they were otters? Squirrels are sneaky. Maybe they were squirrels disguised as otters, so the otters would get the blame.

[Newt]

Are we sure they were otters? Squirrels are sneaky. Maybe they were squirrels disguised as otters, so the otters would get the blame.

AHA! Nefarious bucktoothed bogus otters!  The telltale could be that they float along on their backs cracking *walnuts* with rocks, in the place of shellfish...

[Newt]

...and a few other simple rules we usually go over if we visit somebody's farm, like my wife's uncle who has Clydesdales. Actually, he's down in the same neck of the woods as Newt.

Totally OT Andy: but if your relative breeds or has horses that close by, odds are that I know someone who knows him (or at least *of* him).  I know someone who breeds Belgians in Caledonia - the guys with the heavies pretty much all know each other.  You know how it goes in rural Ontario; with horse people it is even more so.     So: the next you are down this way, making the obligatory side trip to check out 'Muddy' the giant plastic mudcat ( ), you'll be close enough to drop by for the little one to have a pony ride at my place.  (We have 16 horses and ponies and do lessons and training) Beer is in the 'frige and the kettle is always on.

[AndyC]

So, they finally did install the giant mudcat? Cool. Last time we were down, I thought of taking a drive to Dunnville for a look, but there wasn't time.

I would not be surprised if you knew Uncle John. In addition to the farming and the horse showing, he's also an auctioneer, so he gets around.

[Newt]

So, they finally did install the giant mudcat?

The last I heard the installation had been delayed until September.  The whole of Dunnville has been waiting with (forgive me:) baited breath.