Experts look to capture aggressive Santa Cruz sea otter after incidents with surfers

1 year ago 34

JASOá SPOKE TO LOCALS WHO WITNESSED THE LATEST INCIDENT.. MANY EXPERIENCED SURFERS OUT HERE TELL ME THIS IS A PRETTY WILD AND UNUSUAL INCIDENT.. SOMETHING THEY'VE NEVER SEEN BEFORE.. AND THIS IS NOW áTHE 4THá INCIDENT WITH WHAT IS BELIEVED TO BE THE SAME AGGRESSIVE OTTER.. <ALYSSA ANZALONE// SANTA CRUZ RESIDENT & SURFER> 00:38 IT'S JUST VERY STRANGE. I WASN'T EXPECTING THAT KIND OF BEHAVIOR FROM AN OTTER. 00:42 THESE ARE THE BITE MARKS LEFT FROM THE MOST RECENT ATTACK BY A PARTICULAR SEA OTTER AT COWELL BEACH IN SANTA CRUZ ON SUNDAY.. THIS IS THE SEA OTTER.. WHICH CAN BE EASILY IDENTIFIED BY THE BLUE TAG ON IT'S LEFT FIN.. THE DEPARTMENT OF FISH & WILDLIFE SAYS IT'S A 5 YEAR OLD FEMALE THAT WAS BORN IN CAPTIVITY.. THEY SAY HER áMOTHER HAD BEEN REMOVED FROM THE WILD FOR AGGRESSIVE BEHAVIOR TOWARDS PEOPLE AS A RESULT OF BEING FED BY THE PUBLIC LOCAL PHOTOGRAPHER, MARK WOODWARD.. WHO SAW IT ALL HAPPEN.. SAYS THIS IS THE 4TH TIME HE'S SEEN THIS OTTER ACT AGGRESSIVELY WITH SURFERS.. <MARK WOODWARD// SANTA CRUZ PHOTOGRAPHER> 3:24 I THOUGHT, IT'S LIKE, OKAY, IT'S BEHAVING ITSELF. <MARK WOODWARD// SANTA CRUZ PHOTOGRAPHER> 3:34 AND WENT STRAIGHT INTO THE LINE OF THE SURFERS AND LITERALLY WENT BOARD TO BOARD, YOU KNOW, TAKING BITES OF DIFFERENT SURFBOARDS UNTIL IT SETTLED ON THE ONE BRIGHT BOARD AND DECIDED IT WANTED TO RIDE THAT. 3:45 THE OTTER THEN CONTINUED TO BITE THE SURFERS BOARD.. EVEN CLIMBING ON TOP OF IT.. WHILE THE SURFER TRIED TO SHAKE IT OFF.. <NICHOLAS FREEDMAN // SANTA CRUZ RESIDENT> 00:51 WHEN HE CAME OUT, THERE IS HUGE BITE MARKS AND HE WAS LIKE REALLY RATTLED AND HE GOT PRETTY WORKED ON THE ROCKS COMING IN 00:58 NICHOLAS FREEDMAN RUSHED DOWN TO HELP THE SURFER OUT OF THE WATER WHEN HE SAW HIM STRUGGLING TO GET OUT.. <NICHOLAS FREEDMAN // SANTA CRUZ RESIDENT> 3:36 HE WAS LIKE TRYING TO FIGURE OUT HOW TO LIKE, CLIMB UP SLIPPERY ROCKS. I WAS LIKE, GIVE ME YOUR HAND. AND WE CONNECTED HANDS AND I PULLED HIM UP 3:41 <NICHOLAS FREEDMAN // SANTA CRUZ CONTESTANTS IN

Following a number of incidents involving a particular sea otter acting aggressively towards surfers in Santa Cruz, California Fish and Wildlife are looking to capture it.Although no injuries have been reported, Fish and Wildlife said the sea otter is on their radar and that a team of trained experts is working to capture it. It’s a 5-year-old female that was born in captivity, according to Fish and Wildlife. They added that her mother had been removed from the wild for aggressive behavior towards people as a result of being fed by the public. On Sunday, a fourth incident happened between a surfer and the sea otter. Local photographer, Mark Woodward who saw it all happen, says that was the fourth time he’s seen the otter act aggressively with surfers. “I thought, it's like, okay, it's behaving itself,” said Woodward. “And it went straight into the line of the surfers and literally went board to board, you know, taking bites of different surfboards until it settled on the one bright board and decided it wanted to ride that.”In the video, you can see the otter biting the surfboard, even climbing on top of it while the surfer tried to shake it off. Santa Cruz resident, Nicholas Freedman rushed down to help the surfer out of the water when he saw him struggling to get out, as waves crashed up against him. “He was like trying to figure out how to like, climb up slippery rocks. I was like, give me your hand! And we connected hands, and I pulled him up,” said Freedman. “I don't know what I'd be more afraid of if I was getting bashed on the rocks or getting bit by a wild animal.”The surfer, Joon Young, said that it was just his third time surfing and probably his last.

Following a number of incidents involving a particular sea otter acting aggressively towards surfers in Santa Cruz, California Fish and Wildlife are looking to capture it.

Although no injuries have been reported, Fish and Wildlife said the sea otter is on their radar and that a team of trained experts is working to capture it.

It’s a 5-year-old female that was born in captivity, according to Fish and Wildlife. They added that her mother had been removed from the wild for aggressive behavior towards people as a result of being fed by the public.

On Sunday, a fourth incident happened between a surfer and the sea otter. Local photographer, Mark Woodward who saw it all happen, says that was the fourth time he’s seen the otter act aggressively with surfers.

“I thought, it's like, okay, it's behaving itself,” said Woodward. “And it went straight into the line of the surfers and literally went board to board, you know, taking bites of different surfboards until it settled on the one bright board and decided it wanted to ride that.”

In the video, you can see the otter biting the surfboard, even climbing on top of it while the surfer tried to shake it off.

Santa Cruz resident, Nicholas Freedman rushed down to help the surfer out of the water when he saw him struggling to get out, as waves crashed up against him.

“He was like trying to figure out how to like, climb up slippery rocks. I was like, give me your hand! And we connected hands, and I pulled him up,” said Freedman. “I don't know what I'd be more afraid of if I was getting bashed on the rocks or getting bit by a wild animal.”

The surfer, Joon Young, said that it was just his third time surfing and probably his last.

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