Galilee hiking path closed after otter bites two people

Authorities say there is some concern the animal could have rabies and has instructed those attacked to inoculate themselves

A hiking trail in the Upper Galilee was closed off to visitors Saturday after reports that an otter had bitten two hikers.

The Israel Nature and Parks Authority said hikers who had been bitten on the Ein Divsha trail were instructed to inoculate themselves against rabies.

The parks authority recommended that the Upper Galilee Regional Council close the trail until the circumstances of the incidents became clear; the council accepted the recommendation.

Shmulik Yadov, of the Society for Protection of Nature in Israel’s mammal center, told Walla news that because otter attacks are out of the ordinary, rabies was a concern.

Park rangers found an otter cub in Ein Divsha and it was taken for examination at a wildlife hospital. It was not clear whether the cub was responsible for the biting incidents.