Video Shows Pregnant Sea Otter Stealing Surfboard and Growling at the Owner When He Tries to Wrestle It Back
What would you do when an otter comes for your surfboard?
Recently, in Santa Cruz, Nick 'Parts' Ericksen had a little standoff with a sea otter. His friend Chad Underhill-Meras was present to record the hilarious event. The video shows the pregnant sea otter making herself quite comfortable on Ericksen's surfboard—and not wanting to give it back. Read on to find out how the owner tries to get his board, and to see what happens for yourself.
Surfer Ericksen takes care to get close to his surfboard while on shore onlookers warn that the sea otter may attack. The sea otter appears to be protective, takes a dive into the water, but is quick to get back on the board.
The Monterey Bay Aquarium warns: "A sea otter, as cute as it is, should not be approached by humans. If you encounter a sea otter in the wild, even if one approaches you, maintain your distance! A sea otter is a wild animal — maintaining a safe distance is the safest for both you and the otter." The surfers seem to be aware of this. How will they handle this?
An onlooker advises Ericksen to "push the board closer to shore," hoping the sea otter will abandon the surfboard. Another surfer paddles on a board towards the surfboard while the otter lends a hand!
As the surfer on the board pushes the board towards the shore, the sea otter jumps off. But she won't let go without a fight. She follows the board and bites it to grab hold of it.
Surfer Ericksen takes his chance when the otter lets go and jumps on the board to paddle back to shore. Looking back, he sees the sea otter following him. It's a race to shore. Ericksen wins in the end, and the onlookers cheer. "Apparently, this otter has been having episodes like this all week, and tried to bite several other people the next day," says Underhill-Meras.
Watch the video here.
