UK man in Singapore says otter attack left him with 26 wounds on bum, legs, hands
- Graham Spencer was on his usual 6am walk at the Singapore Botanic Gardens when he encountered a ‘convoy’ of some 20 wild otters
- He managed to survive the ordeal after his friend ran over to scream at the animals and pulled him away
A British man taking an early morning walk at the Singapore Botanic Gardens said he was attacked by a pack of wild otters, leaving him with 26 wounds on his buttocks, legs and fingers.
Graham Spencer, in his 60s, was on his usual 6am walk in the gardens on November 30, when a “convoy” of about 20 otters ambushed him, causing him to fall, and trampled and bit him.
Spencer escaped when his friend ran over to scream at the otters and pulled him away.
The whole process was 10 or 12 seconds ... I thought I was going to die
“The whole process was 10 or 12 seconds, I couldn’t move ... I thought I was going to die,” he said. “If they bite my face or my neck, I’m dead.”
Animal welfare groups say it is rare for otters to attack humans unless they feel threatened.
Spencer said he thought the otters mistook him for a runner who had run past him, stepping on one of the animals in the dim early morning light.
“I weighed more than 200 pounds (91kg) and I couldn’t get up without my friend’s help. If the otters had attacked a girl or child, they surely could not have survived,” Spencer said.