Wildlife officials are working to capture an aggressive sea otter that has been menacing surfers and stealing surfboards off the California coast for several weeks.
A video shared by Hefti Brunold shows an encounter between the otter and a surfer off the coast of Santa Cruz on Sunday. The otter can be seen biting the surfboard and climbing on top, forcing the surfer to swim away a bit. The surfer tries to gently flip the otter off the board, but it hangs on by its teeth and takes the board away again.
The 5-year-old female otter was born in captivity after her mother was captured for aggression, likely caused by being fed by humans, per reports. After weaning, the pup was tagged and released into the wild. She reappeared in the area with her own pup in May of last year, and began interacting with humans in the fall.
At the time, wildlife officials used hazing techniques that temporarily deterred her unusual behavior. Now, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has approved her capture by the California Department of Fish and Wildlife and the Monterey Bay Aquarium, which regularly rehabilitates and fosters otters.
So far, no injuries to humans have been reported as a result of encounters with the otter. Wildlife officials are advising that surfers, swimmers and kayakers should avoid the otter and not encourage interaction.
Once the otter is captured, she will be evaluated by veterinarians at the Monterey Bay Aquarium.
