They were targeted by a wanted poster, as they were in the days of the Wild West. In California, authorities are officially hunting down an otter that is aggressive towards surfers and sometimes capable of stealing their boards, who want to put an end to its theft.
This five-year-old girl is making US headlines this week, after repeated acts of hacking.
The animal has been attacking surfers in Santa Cruz, near San Francisco, for several weeks now. In recent days, however, his audacity seems to have gone too far.
In a video posted to Twitter on Monday, sea otters climbed onto the board of a frightened paragliding enthusiast, who unsuccessfully tried to flip his board to resist him.
Not moving in the least, it clings to the mammal and begins to bite the foamy body.
Faced with this aggressive resurgence, the authorities decided to take action.
Because of the increased risks to public safety, Team […] The US Department of Fish and Wildlife confirmed in a statement to AFP on Wednesday that those trained to catch and handle sea otters have been deployed in an effort to capture and relocate them.
Sea otters narrowly escaped extinction in the North Pacific Ocean, after American settlers hunted for their fur until the early 20th century.H a century.
This species is still threatened, but has managed to rebound to the number of 3,000 individuals currently in the area.
Hence, the crossing of the sea otter is very rare, but not entirely exceptional for American surfers, boaters, and sailors. Because of their small heads sticking out of the water, these animals are generally seen as cute.
However, otters remain predators and their bites are considered dangerous, according to scientists.
The unusual behavior of this female off Santa Cruz remains unexplained.
The animal is known to local scientists.
according to The New York TimesBorn in captivity to a mother who lost her innate fear of humans after being breastfed by several Californians.
To prevent the scenario from repeating itself, the Monterey Bay Aquarium staff who took care of her prior to her release went so far as to don masks and gowns.
Despite these efforts, the female began to approach humans about a year after being released into the ocean. Until she proves herself a true terror of the seas.
“I was afraid,” she confided Los Angeles Times John Lee, a stroke victim on Sunday.
“I tried to swim away, but before I could get away, an otter bit me handlebars (The rope that attaches the board to the surfer’s ankle, editor’s note), said this computer engineer. “I got confused.”
