ORLANDO, Fla. _ A Maitland police officer fatally shot a rabid otter last week, days after multiple people reported being bitten near Lake Maitland, according to a police report.
On Jan. 7, a visitor at John Hudson Park was attacked in the evening. The next morning, police received reports of a person attacked near Lake Lily Park and another at an apartment complex, the report said.
The victims were taken to local emergency rooms for treatment, prompting a warning from local authorities and the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission to avoid interactions with the carnivorous mammal.
Warnings posted at Lake Lily Park urged visitors to keep their distance and use a stick if necessary to thwart an encounter. Above a photo of an otter, the flyers say, "CAUTION: Aggressive Otter Reported in Area."
A couple of days after the reported attacks, police were called to a home along the Lake Maitland shoreline because of a sick otter in a resident's backyard.
Officers said in the report that the animal appeared lethargic and was "seizing and shaking violently" as it slowly made its way into a drainage ditch.
Since there were no boats on the lake or residents nearby, an officer euthanized the otter by shooting it twice, according to the report.
Orange County Animal Services took the otter for testing and was informed Saturday that the animal had rabies, spokeswoman Alyssa Chandler said.
"The victims are undergoing post exposure vaccinations," she said in an email.
Local officials have not confirmed whether the rabid otter that was killed was the same otter who attacked the other residents in separate incidents.
