Man walking in Singapore garden attacked by otters: "I thought I was going to die"

A British man was taking a morning walk in Singapore when a gang of about 20 otters attacked him. "I thought I was going to die," he later said.

Graham George Spencer, who lives in Singapore, said the otters chased him, pinned him down, and bit him "26 times in 10 seconds" in a botanical garden, according to The Guardian.

So what set them off?

From The Guardian:

The animals were moving quietly but "went crazy" after another man ran towards them, Spencer told the paper. The runner was able to avoid the animals but Spencer was not as lucky.

He said they lunged at him, biting his ankles, legs and buttocks and causing him to fall over.

"I actually thought I was going to die – they were going to kill me," he added.

Spencer's friend, who was about "15 paces" away from him, ran up screaming in a bid to scare away the otters.

"If it wasn't for my friend, I don't think I'd still be here. I'd be dead," he later said. He received first aid by the park's staff before walking across the street to the hospital, where he received tetanus shots and antibiotics.

Otter attacks are rare, but a sign at the Singapore Botanic Garden does warn visitors to "observe them from a distance." It doesn't, however, explain how to prevent obnoxious strangers from spooking the animals before you cross their path.