‘Succession’ actor Crystal Finn describes Feather River otter attack that sent her to hospital

An actor who appeared on HBO’s hit drama “Succession” said she had a scary encounter with otters during a trip to Northern California in July that sent her to the hospital.

Crystal Finn, who portrayed Lauren Pawson on “Succession” season 4's election-night episode, "America Decides," told the San Francisco Chronicle that she was swimming in the Feather River, near Plumas National Forest, when three river otters swam up and bit her.

Finn described swimming in a pool of water formed in the swollen Feather River when the three otters, who she theorized were a mother and two pups, bit her legs and buttocks. The animals continued to bite her as she swam before disappearing as she made it to shore.

“I felt something on my backside and on my leg,” Finn told the Chronicle. “I started looking around and yelling out and (three otters) popped up right in front of me. Then they dove down and started going at me again.”

The actor’s attack was serious enough that she received a rabies shot and treatment for bite injuries at Tahoe Forest Hospital in Truckee, where doctors said they had recently treated another patient for otter bites, the Chronicle reported.

The first otter-attack victim was swimming at Serene Lakes in Placer County and was bitten between 15 and 20 times on different parts of her body, Dr. Martin Rosengreen, an emergency room physician at Tahoe Forest Hospital, told the Chronicle.

Though Finn said she did not see the otter before entering the water, she told the Chronicle that “If I had seen them, I don’t think it would have given me pause. I would have thought, ‘Oh those cute river otters.’”

While attacks by river and sea otters are rare, concerning encounters have been reported in recent months.

In one encounter, an aggressive sea otter hopped atop a surfboard at Santa Cruz’s Cowell Beach and refused to get off despite the rider being in the water. In another incident, a river otter in the Jefferson River in southern Montana injured three women floating on inner tubes earlier this month and inflicted wounds serious enough that one victim had to be airlifted to a hospital, authorities said.

In July, the California Department of Fish & Wildlife shared tips for people sharing sea and river otter habitat:

• Be aware of your surroundings and alert to nearby wildlife when recreating
• Maintain a safe distance - if an otter notices you, you are likely too close and should back away.
• Keep kayaks at least 60 feet (or five kayak lengths) away, passing by parallel rather than pointing directly at any animals and moving slowly but steadily past rather than stopping.
• Keep pets on a leash on and around docks and harbors and never allow interactions, even if the animals appear to be playing.
• Never feed otters, as they can become aggressive.