N.Y. Swim Student Bitten by Rabid Otter
PUTNAM VALLEY, N.Y. (AP) - A rabid otter latched onto, and bit, a 6-year-old boy who was taking swimming lessons at a small public lake Wednesday.
Police said Ethan Pederson emerged from the water with the otter hanging onto his back and legs. Lifeguards wrestled it off, but the animal ran in and out of the water several times, chasing after others in the class, police said.
Putnam County Sheriff's deputies were called to the lake about 11:15 a.m. Lifeguards finally trapped the animal under a plastic crate, and a deputy shot it dead. Police said the Putnam County Department of Health reported a positive rabies test.
Pederson was treated for hand and back wounds as well as for rabies.
Freshwater otters have brown fur and grow about 4 feet long. They are usually nocturnal and live off of fish, and sometimes fowl.
Information from: Poughkeepsie Journal,
http://www.pojonews.com