Otters are adorable animals, but they can be dangerous to people because of their strong jaws, which can crush the shells of crabs and mussels.

Surfers on the Californian coast are aware that they need watch out for sharks. However, a five-year-old sea otter that has been attacking surfers and snatching their boards has recently drawn warnings to stay away from it.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has put signs along West Cliff Drive in Santa Cruz warning of “Aggressive Sea Otter In This Area.” You should do so at your own risk. Avoid Contact with Marine Wildlife.

The Los Angeles Times writes that there were a few reports of the hostile sea otter last year. But recently, the attacks have intensified. Otter 841, a five-year-old female sea otter, has shown hostility against surfers. She knocks them off their boards, takes them, rides on them briefly, and frequently injures them with her strong jaws.

Joon Lee, a novice surfer who was assaulted by Otter 841 on Sunday, stated, “I was scared.” “I was trying to swim away, but it bit my leash [a tether that connects a surfer to their board] before I could get very far. So I became anxious.

Despite Otter 841 lunging at Lee and damaging his surfboard, Lee was able to flee. (He stated to the Los Angeles Times that he has no intention of ever surfing again.) But experts on marine animals emphasize that most otters do not act as aggressively against people.

According to Jessica Fujii, the scientific and programmatic head of the Monterey Bay Aquarium’s Sea Otter Program, “I would start just by saying that this is very unusual and rare.” she told the Los Angeles Times. “I wouldn’t say that sea otters frequently engage in this kind of behavior. Similar incidents have occurred over the past few decades, you know. however this otter’s perseverance and pattern are quite distinctive.

Local otter specialists are well-aware of Otter 841. According to The New York Times, her mother was born into slavery, given a release, and then taken back when she began scaling kayaks in search of food. She gave birth to Otter 841 during this second time in captivity, and after being weaned, she was fostered by people at the Monterey Bay Aquarium.

Her human handlers attempted to break Otter 841’s attachment to them in order to release her into the wild. They wore ponchos and masks when they engaged with her. Despite this, she appeared to swiftly get over her dread of wild people.

According to Fujii, “we started receiving reports of her interactions with surfers, kayakers, and paddle boarders after one year of being in the wild without issue.” “We don’t know what caused this to start. There is no proof that she was fed. But during the past few years, it has continued during the summers.

A team from the California Department of Fish and Wildlife and the Monterey Bay Aquarium, which has been trained in the capture and handling of sea otters, has been deployed to try to capture and rehome her because of the growing risk to the public’s safety, according to a statement from the CDFW.

The choice has been made for Otter 841’s own safety as well as the security of surfers. At one time, the waters off the California coast were teeming with California sea otters, also known as southern sea otters. However, they became an endangered species due to aggressive fur collecting in the 19th century, and today there are only 3,000 of these otters left. Nevertheless, despite being a member of a protected species, Otter 841 would have to be put to death if she bit a person.

However, Otter 841 has so far eluded capture.

Surfers in California should be on the watch for more than just a shark’s fin for the time being. They should also look out for Otter 841’s beady brown eyes among the waves.