Three women are injured after being attacked by an OTTER while floating on inner tubes on a river in Montana

A woman had to be airlifted to hospital after she and two friends were attacked by an otter while river rafting in Montana.

The three tourists were floating on inner tubes on a remote stretch of the Jefferson River, a tributary of the Missouri River, when the rare attack happened Wednesday evening.

They were attacked by at least one otter and one woman suffered such severe injuries to her face and arms that she had to be flown by helicopter to a hospital in Bozeman.

Her two friends were left with injuries to their arms as they tried to fend off the animal.

The women, who live in Montana, managed to escape and made it to shore where they called 911 for help.

The three tourists were floating on inner tubes on a remote stretch of the Jefferson River, a tributary of the Missouri River, when the rare attack happened Wednesday night

Rescuers had to use a jet boat and a side-by-side to reach the victims because the incident took place in a remote location.

It’s not clear how many otters were involved in the attack on the stretch of river popular with anglers and recreational floaters.

The trio said at least one otter swam up to them shortly before they attacked, though another woman said she saw two otters.

Authorities are shocked by the incident which happened around 8:15pm and say otter attacks are extremely rare.

It’s just not something you come across often. Bears do, moose too and the occasional deer, but otters? That’s not normal,” Jefferson County Undersheriff James Everett said.

Water levels in rivers are low in the summer and people have more contact with wildlife.

“While otter attacks are rare, otters can protect themselves and their young, especially at close ranges,” Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks said in a statement.

“They give birth in April and can be seen in the water with their young later in the summer.

“They can also protect food resources, especially when those resources are scarce.”

There are no plans to locate or kill the otters as it is believed it was a defensive attack.

But signs have been put up to warn visitors about the potentially dangerous animals in the area.

Authorities are shocked by the incident which happened around 8:15pm and say otter attacks are extremely rare

There are no plans to locate or kill the otters as it is believed it was a defensive attack. Signs have been put up to warn visitors about the animals in the area

Otters can use their teeth and claws to bite and scratch, said Morgan Jacobsen of Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks

Northern river otters are members of the weasel family and can weigh up to 20 pounds — as heavy as a small dog — and up to 17 inches long. They mainly eat fish.

They can use their teeth and claws to bite and scratch, said Morgan Jacobsen of Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks.

“When people are attacked by an otter, our recommended response is to fight back, get out and get out of the water,” he said.

Two years ago, a 12-year-old boy on an inner tube was attacked but not seriously injured by an otter on Montana’s Big Hole River.

Last month, a sea otter in California received a lot of attention for aggressively grappling with surfers’ surfboards off the coast of Santa Cruz.

A well-documented otter attack occurred in 2016 when a 52-year-old woman was swimming in a lake in Quebec.

It aggressively followed her as she swam before biting and scratching her. The incident left her with deep wounds on her legs.