ST. JOHN'S — An ornery otter that tore a hole in a Newfoundland park official’s boot has escaped euthanasia, but the provincial government says staff are still trying to figure out what to do with the animal. Tallulah, the nine-year-old river otter, has bitten staff at the Salmonier Nature Park and escaped from her enclosure, according to a cache of emails published last month on the province’s website for completed access-to-information requests. Management had decided she would be euthanized if they couldn’t find somewhere else for her to live. But the Department of Forestry, Agriculture and Lands said Friday that she is now contained in a secure area and under continuous observation. “Staff at Salmonier Nature Park are working closely with Animal Health Division veterinarians to determine the best course of action for this animal,” said spokesperson Sara Rideout in an email. The Salmonier Nature Park was built in the midst of boreal forest on Newfoundland’s Avalon Peninsula. It has trails and large enclosures in which animals native to the area live on display for visitors. Tallulah was raised at the park by animal care staff, according to the emails. Her trouble began when she was moved to a display enclosure, where she had less human contact, said an email written by Michelle Simms, on Aug. 13. Simms’ email to the Toronto Zoo details three separate incidents in the years that followed. In one instance, the Tallulah bit a caretaker who was trying to leave the enclosure. A few years later, she bolted from the enclosure and approached several visitors before attacking the park’s animal care supervisor. “Tallulah jumped up on him, he became frightened and turned to knock her down, and she bit him,” Simms wrote. This was followed by a few more years without any incidents until this past summer, when Tallulah lunged at a staff member and punctured his boot, the email said. “As a result, she has now been designated as dangerous, and the decision has been made that she will be euthanized later this week unless another facility can be found for her,” Simms said. “She is an extremely curious, intelligent animal who has always been interested in watching people and interacting with her environment … I am reaching out because I really don’t want Tallulah’s life to end simply because we have not been able to find another option for her.” The employee whose boot was damaged had a different assessment of the animal, the emails show. “She is a very large animal, and I personally consider her to be extremely dangerous,” wrote Rodney Collins on July 24 to a director with the Magnetic Hill Zoo in Moncton. He said a “keeper” raised Tallulah by hand from when she was a very small pup, and the two still have a strong bond. The keeper can touch the otter through the fence, “but anyone else would probably lose the finger,” he said. Some of the injuries Tallulah has inflicted were “very serious,” he said in another email in July. He also detailed Tallulah’s assault on his boot, saying he and a co-worker were trying to get her into a trap so they could move her. The otter got out and turned “immediately” to Collins’ colleague, “with much aggression,” he wrote in June. He pinned Tallulah down with the trap and his colleague got away, but she then went after Collins, he wrote. “It got free and immediately attacked my safety boot. With force I was able to shake the animal free from my boot and close the compound gate door,” he said. “All this happened in (a) matter of seconds.” In another message, he warned staff not to take any chances with Talullah and described her escape from a different compound, which he called “Alcatraz.” There are emails from Simms and Collins to zoos and animal sanctuaries, asking if any could take the animal and give her a home. There is no indication among the messages that any of the facilities said yes. This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 6, 2026. The Canadian Press
