Reno woman recounts attack by river otter in Lake Tahoe
Lynnette Bellin, a Reno swim instructor, was out for one of her regular swims between Hidden Beach and Incline Village at Lake Tahoe when she was attacked by a river otter Sunday, Aug. 30.
Editor’s note: This story includes graphic photos that may be disturbing to some readers.
A routine morning swim in Lake Tahoe turned violent for one woman following an otter attack in Reno, Nevada.
The otter attacked Lynnette Bellin on Sunday, Aug. 30 underwater while she swam near Hidden Beach in Incline Village. The otter suddenly grabbed her leg and pulled her underwater, she told the Reno Gazette Journal, part of the USA TODAY Network.
As a result, Bellin was left with cuts all over her face, arm and legs and required 22 stitches and a rabies vaccination.
“At first I thought it was a person pulling on me because it was so strong,” Bellin told the Gazette Journal on Monday, Aug. 31.
“I haven’t seen anyone else out there swimming, so I wasn’t sure,” she said. “And then I felt the teeth and claws, and it was relentless.
She then turned around and spotted the otter, which was biting and scratching her. As the attack continued, Bellin tried to reach a nearby set of rocks and even threw the otter.
Though she yelled for help, no one responded. Still, she managed to exit the water using a set of rocks.
Once back at the beach, Bellin saw the otter circling the area and drove herself to the hospital.
Photos of Bellin’s injuries taken after the incident showed Bellin with blood running down her face and left arm and hand. She’d been swimming in the area since July and is a professional swim instructor but has never experienced anything like what happened in Lake Tahoe.
The Washoe County Sheriff’s Office, which responded to the incident, searched for the animal on Aug. 30 but was unable to locate it, the Nevada Department of Wildlife told the Gazette Journal.
Otter attacks in 2026
The incident marks the second otter attack this summer at Lake Tahoe.
Bob Daly was swimming at Pope Beach on Aug. 9 when an otter attacked him, leaving him with eight bloody bite and scratch marks, according to South Tahoe Now.
There was also an otter attack in Anchorage, Alaska, KTUU reported last month.
What to know about otters in the region
Lake Tahoe is home to Northern river otters.
The creatures are nocturnal but may be active in the early morning and later afternoon in remote areas, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
Populations are listed as stable or increasing in Alabama, Alaska, Arkansas, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Louisiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Montana, New Hampshire, New York, North Carolina, Oregon, Rhode Island, Texas, Vermont, Washington and Wisconsin, per the agency.
Otter attacks can be dangerous but are rare for the most part. According to the Otter Specialist Group, which conducted a review of otter attacks in 2011, only 39 attacks have been documented since 1875.
North American otters were most likely to be involved in attacks. The greatest number of attacks were documented in Florida.
Otter attacks have also been reported in British Columbia, California, Georgia, Iowa, Massachusetts, Montana, Montana, New Hampshire, New York, Oregon, Vermont, Virginia, Washington and Wisconsin.
Michelle Del Rey is a trending news reporter at USA TODAY. Reach her at mdelrey@usatoday.com.