Surfboard-stealing sea otter stalks surfers in Santa Cruz

Five-year-old female has been showing aggressive behaviour in waters near the California city for weeks, officials say

A sea otter has been terrorising surfers in the city of Santa Cruz, California, in recent weeks, stealing their boards and forcing them to swim to shore.

The five-year-old female has been showing aggressive behaviour towards humans for several weeks and poses a public safety risk, the US Fish and Wildlife Service said.

Video and photos posted on social media show the animal climbing on top of surfboards and aggressively approaching surfers as well as kayakers.

“At first, we were like, 'Look how cute?' But then it bit down on the board and chewed off a piece, and we were like, 'What's going on?'” one surfer told The Los Angeles Times.

“I was scared. I was trying to swim away, but before I was able to get far, it bit my leash.”

Local photographer Mark Woodward has been posting video and images of the otter's activities on Instagram. He said he has seen some “very aggressive interactions” between the animal and local surfers.

“This may seem cute and funny, but it’s getting to be dangerous and I’m afraid that the sea otter, which was born in captivity and released when it was old enough, will have to be captured and live at a rescue sanctuary,” he wrote.

Known as Otter 841, the five-year-old female was born in captivity, Outdoor Life reported.

Her mother had become accustomed to humans feeding her and, after boarding a number of kayaks in search of handouts, was captured in 2018.

Otter 841 was taken to the Monterey Bay Aquarium to be rehabilitated before being released into the Pacific.

Animal control officials are now working to track down and recapture her.

“She’s been quite talented at evading us,” Monterey Bay Aquarium spokeswoman Jessica Fujii told The New York Times.

An interaction between the otter and a surfer off the coast of Santa Cruz. AP

Sea otters are native to the coasts of the North Pacific Ocean. The animals – whose diet primarily consists of sea-dwelling invertebrates such as clams, mussels and sea urchins – are viewed as friendly, curious and intelligent.

But with adults weighing in between 14kg and 45kg, with strong jaws and sharp teeth, interactions with wild otters can be dangerous.

Santa Cruz officials have said that if the otter ends up biting a human – as opposed to just a surfboard – she will need to be euthanised.