- NEW PORT RICHEY
- Heather Davis thought the dark brown otter was just playing with her
dog Mike.
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- Heather Davis hugs her dog, Mike, the American Eskimo,
in a family photograph. Mike was killed Tuesday in a backyard lake when
he was attacked by an otter, which is a protected species in Florida. Such
attacks are considered rare.
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- Then the 4-foot-long otter seized Mike's snout with its
teeth and started to drag the fluffy, white dog into the lake.
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- Heather screamed for help.
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- As the otter pulled the dog under, a family friend grabbed
a pole, jumped into a small boat and tried to rescue Mike. But the dog
already was limp and floating away.
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- "The otter went under water," said Rick Wolf,
19. "Then it jumped on the back of the boat and started attacking
my foot."
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- Heather, 13, and her sister Stephanie stood in the back
yard, hysterical.
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- "The otter had his whole mouth around (Wolf's) shoe,"
said Heather.
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- Wolf, whose shoe was not penetrated by the otter's teeth,
kicked and jabbed it with the stick. The otter swam over to Mike, grabbed
the dog and glided off.
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- Wolf, the boyfriend of Heather's 17-year-old sister,
was not injured.
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- The body of the dog, an American Eskimo, was found on
the shore of the lake on Wednesday, a day after the attack.
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- Pasco Animal Control has placed a trap in the Davis'
back yard on Vienna Lane, which borders a small lake in the Regency Park
subdivision.
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- "Otters usually are not aggressive, they're usually
a very shy animal," said Denise Hilton, Pasco Animal Control manager.
The otter could be a mother trying to protect her litter, or it could be
rabid, she said.
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- Either way, "I'm sure it was very traumatic for
them to have their dog killed by this critter," Hilton said.
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- Otters are protected animals in Florida, but they can
be killed if they destroy property, authorities said.
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- Attacks are highly unusual.
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- However, there have been a few incidents involving river
otters, which are aquatic members of the weasel family.
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- In 1999 in Melbourne, an otter bit a man on his shin.
Earlier this year in New Bedford, Mass., a police officer was bitten by
a rabid otter.
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- In Florida, otters are usually found near fresh water.
They eat mostly fish, but have been known to eat birds, snakes and insects.
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- The animals, which can look a lot like giant wet cats
when they emerge from the water, are usually 3 to 4 feet long, and can
weigh up to 25 pounds. Otters have webbed toes, short legs and a small,
flat head.
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- The violent attack left local and state officials puzzled.
"This is very bizarre behavior for an otter," said Jeff McGrady,
a wildlife biologist with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.
"It sort of just left us scratching our heads."
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- Heather's father, John Davis, said the family got the
dog, Mike, as a puppy, five years ago.
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- He was very fond of Heather, and slept on her bed at
night. When she was a little girl, Heather used to dress the dog in hats
and other funny clothes, he said.
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- "Mike was very gentle, not aggressive at all,"
said John Davis.
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- Davis said his neighbor had seen an otter in the lake
several weeks ago.
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- "If they had said an alligator was in the lake,
I might have been concerned," he said. "I never thought anything
about an otter."
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- River otters
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- Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission
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- HABITAT: In Florida, usually found near fresh water.
They live in burrows on water banks, often under the roots of trees.
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- DIET: They normally feed on animals such as crawfish
and fish.
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- SIZE: Usually 3 to 4 feet long, weighing up to 25 pounds.
Otters have webbed toes, short legs and a small, flat head.
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