A child is recovering from injuries sustained in a rare river otter attack that took place at the Bremerton Marina Sept. 12.

The state Department of Fish and Wildlife says in a statement that officials received reports of the incident at approximately 9:30 a.m. The victim’s mother reported her child was pulled into the water while they were walking down the dock. The child was submerged and resurfaced a few moments later.

The mother was able to lift her child out of water while the otter continued to attack and pursued the family as they left the dock. The child sustained scratches and bites to the head, face and legs and was treated at a local hospital.

“We are grateful the victim only sustained minor injuries, due to the mother’s quick actions and child’s resiliency,” WDFW Sgt. Ken Balazs said.

Port of Bremerton helped with quick coordination and communication to marina tenants.

The US Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services was contacted to trap and lethally remove the river otters from the marina. The animals will be transported for rabies testing.

Just six documented human-river otter incidents have been documented in Washington in the last decade. They are typically territorial and unpredictable, officials said.