Lynnette Bellin knew the water better than anyone. A certified swimming instructor, she had spent years teaching self-rescue techniques to other people. She never imagined she would need them herself one ordinary Sunday, swimming near the eastern shore of Lake Tahoe.
Something grabbed her by the leg and dragged her underwater. When she surfaced, she discovered it was a river otter, an animal that rarely attacks humans, and that for five minutes continued attacking her with its teeth and claws. It tore off her swimming goggles and opened wounds on her temple, cheek, nose, arms, and right foot.
Bellin managed to climb onto a rock and, once away from the water, walked nearly a kilometer while covered in blood to Hidden Beach, where other people alerted emergency services. She ended up with 38 stitches, 22 of them just in her foot, and weeks later had to undergo surgery on her left hand because of an infection. The Nevada Department of Wildlife was honest: they had never seen a case like this.