SEATTLE (Reuters) - The river otter believed to be responsible for a rare attack on humans that left a Washington state boy and his grandmother badly hurt has been killed, state wildlife officials said on Tuesday. The large male otter was trapped, captured and euthanized just yards from where the late July attack occurred in the Pilchuck River in Snohomish County, about 36 miles northeast of Seattle, the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife said. The attack appeared unprovoked, according to Captain Alan Myers of the Department of Fish and Wildlife. In the days after the attack, trappers found several females with pups in the area, and said the responsible animal might have been a mother protecting her brood. The large male otter found Sunday acted aggressively and did not appear scared of dogs or humans, Myers said. A necropsy will be performed to determine whether disease or previous injury played a role in the otter's unusually aggressive behavior, Myers said.
– Swimmers are now free to go back in the Seattle-area Pilchuck River without worrying unduly about being attacked by crazed otters, authorities say. Wildlife officials say they tracked, shot, and killed a large, aggressive male otter just yards from where an 8-year-old boy and his grandmother were badly injured in an otter attack last month, reports Reuters. Authorities say they initially suspected a female otter protecting pups attacked the boy as he swam and then attacked his grandmother as she went to his aid, but the male they shot was unusually aggressive and they're pretty sure he was the culprit, the AP reports. The otter, which was at least 4 feet long, appeared to have no fear of humans, authorities say. A necropsy will be carried out to determine whether disease may have played a role in its behavior.