Otters Attack Woman Who Was Jogging In Kota Kinabalu Park

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When nature bites back! A group of otters attacked a woman at a recreational park in Tanjung Aru, Kota Kinabalu this morning (11 September).

The woman, Mariasella Harun, was on her routine jog at Perdana Park around 6.10am when she was attacked and bitten by otters. She had just completed 2km when the attack took place.

She told The Star she first saw something emerging from the drain and thought it was a cat. Before she knew it, an otter leapt and bit her and she was soon surrounded by otters. Oh my.

She claimed she couldn’t stand up and tried to fight off the otters for what seemed like five “agonising minutes” until other joggers came to her aid.

Mariasella sustained injuries to her arms, legs, and head from the animal attack. She was rushed to Queen Elizabeth Hospital for treatment where she was given antibacterial medication and rabies vaccine.

Doctors said she needed to be hospitalised for observation and she’s unsure how long the stay will be.

Her wounds couldn’t be stitched yet too in case of complications from the bites.

Mariasella said she was still tired and traumatised from the incident. She noted that she saw otters in the park, where she regularly jogs, last week but didn’t go near them. She only took videos of the creatures.

She added that she didn’t provoke the otters and didn’t know why she was targeted.

Sabah Wildlife Department director Roland Niun said it was the first reported case of an otter attack. He said it was highly unusual for the generally harmless animal to exhibit such aggressive behaviours.

Niun said a team has been sent to investigate and shared a bit about otter behaviours. He shared that otters can be overly protective of their pups and have a territorial nature.

It’s believed that the otters were able to enter the park through the damaged fence to look for food.

The broken fence has been repaired but the public is asked to inform them if there are still otters entering the park.

If the otters return, the authorities will have to capture and relocate them for everyone’s safety.

As a precaution, the public is advised not to feed, approach, or attack the otters in any way.

Otters are protected under Schedule 2 of the Wildlife Conservation Enactment 1997. They’re usually found in riverine areas or lakes.

READ MORE: Adorable Otters Spotted Playing In Klang River Near Mid Valley During The Rain [VIDEO]

While otter attacks are unusual in Malaysia, our Singapore neighbour is familiar with otter gang fights.

In January 2021, an otter turf war broke out in Singapore. A few spectators witnessed the otter families from Bishan and Marina battling it out at Kallang River near Potong Pasir.

Apparently, the Bishan gang appeared more aggressive and had more members in the fight. As such, the Marina gang retreated into a sewage pipe and the Bishan gang took the chance to block the pipe entrance.

The Bishan otters eventually left the scene. A witness named Koh said he didn’t see the Marina otters leave the pipe and believed the otters found another way out via the sewer system.

The Bishan and Marina otters feud started in 2015. Who says gang wars aren’t still happening?

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