"We are grateful the victim only sustained minor injuries, due to the mother's quick actions and child's resiliency," Fish and Wildlife Sergeant Ken Balazs said in the news release.
"Although encounters with river otters are rare, they can be territorial and, like any wildlife, are inherently unpredictable," the state wildlife agency said.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services trapped a river otter following the marina incident and took it for diagnostic testing, including for rabies - a disease that can make animals aggressive.
A rabid otter attacked a man and his dog in Florida last fall, biting the man dozens of times. Joseph Scaglione recounted in local media that the otter latched onto his right hand and would not let go for about five minutes.
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