WILD

Otter Terrorizing Surfers Escapes Elaborate Capture Attempts

One fruitless plan involved trying to lure her with a “bait” surfboard.

Wildlife officials are having a hard time capturing an infamous sea otter that went rogue and started stealing surfers’ boards off the coast of California. The otter named “841” is being targeted for capture because officials say her increasingly aggressive behavior poses a threat to her own safety—and to humans. But since last Thursday, 841 has successfully foiled multiple plans to reel her in that have involved nets, boats, and helicopters. On Monday, a crew sent out an empty surfboard into the water as “bait.” The idea was for a diver attached to the unoccupied board by a leash to tow the otter to a boat carrying a net and box to trap her. Mark Woodward, a former 841 victim who lent his board for the operation, said each time they managed to get her within about 50 yards of the boat, she’d jump off the board and swim away. On Saturday, crews also used a surfboard and a paddleboard in a bid to lure her over a 200-yard net. “She didn’t fall for it,” Woodward told the Los Angeles Times.