An otter unleashed a 'rare' attack on 3 women who were tubing on a Montana river, wildlife officials say

• An otter attacked three women tubing on a Montana river, leaving them injured, officials said.
• One of the injured women was wounded more seriously and had to be airlifted to a hospital.
• The Montana Department of Fish, Wildlife and Parks called otter attacks a "rare" occurrence. 

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Three women were injured — one more seriously — when an otter unleashed a "rare" attack on them as the trio was tubing along a river in southern Montana, according to state wildlife officials. 

The women were floating on inner tubes on the Jefferson River at around 8:15 p.m. on Wednesday when they spotted one to two otters, the Montana Department of Fish, Wildlife and Parks said in a statement on Thursday. 

Suddenly, the government agency said, "An otter approached and attacked them."

"The women got out of the water, and the otter swam away," the wildlife department said.

When the women got to shore, they called 911, and several agencies, including the local sheriff's office, responded to the incident. 

The women received medical attention in the Montana city of Bozeman, but one of them, who wildlife officials said had "more serious" injuries, was airlifted to a local hospital via a helicopter. 

"It's just not something you run into very often," Jefferson County Undersheriff James Everett told the Associated Press of the attack. "Bears do it, moose too and occasionally a deer, but otters? That's not normal." 

Everett told the news outlet that the woman who was hospitalized suffered wounds on her face and arms. 

The Montana Department of Fish, Wildlife and Parks said staffers have posted signs at several fishing access sites in the area notifying visitors of "otter activity."

"While attacks from otters are rare, otters can be protective of themselves and their young, especially at close distances," the agency said, adding that the animals "may also be protective of food resources, especially when those resources are scarce."

The wildlife department said: "If you are attacked by an otter, fight back, get away and out of the water, and seek medical attention."