A woman was left fighting for her life when a DOLPHIN nearly bit her foot off during a wild swim
- last year
A woman on the trip of a lifetime was left fighting for her life - when a DOLPHIN nearly bit her foot off during a wild swim.
Traumatised, Claire Bye, 28, was swimming in a river in Santa Rosa de Yacuma, Bolivia, when a pink river dolphin suddenly sunk it's teeth into her right foot.
Claire was rushed to a local hospital a five-minute drive away, where her open wounds were seen to with 32 stitches.
After four days her condition went downhill as she battled a potentially life-threatening infection and medics advised she be flown to La Paz, the capitol of Bolivia, for further treatment.
After a surgical clean to treat the infection and remove the dead tissue, Claire had to wait another two weeks before she could fly home to the UK.
Once back home, she underwent skin flap surgery, where living tissue was transferred from her groin to her foot, at Southmead Hospital, Bristol.
Claire, an acoustic consultant from Bedminster, Bristol, said: "I've never felt pain like it.
"I remember seeing the dolphin out of the corner of my eye, and then it suddenly lunged at me.
''It wasn't the cute looking dolphins were used to seeing, it had a huge beak with a mouthful of spiky teeth.
"It felt like it had me for 15 minutes, but apparently it was about 20 seconds before it let go and swam away.
"They did the best they could, but I caught an infection that began to spread up my leg.
"I honestly thought I'd lose my foot, or potentially my life."
On 3rd January 2023, only three months into her trip, Claire's travels were cut short by the life-changing injuries.
They were led by an experienced tour guide, and joined by a group of fellow tourists.
The group stopped at the river and spent time swimming and playing with the wild pink river dolphins.
Claire said: "I saw one child try to pick up a dolphin, which made me feel uneasy, so I decided to get out of the water and onto the pontoon.
"That's when the dolphins started to turn aggressive, and a few people got out of the water with scrapes on their legs where they'd been bitten."
Claire decided not to go back into the water, but instead opted to play with the dolphins with a water bottle, as demonstrated by their tour guide, from the safety of the pontoon.
Claire accidentally dropped the water bottle, so she hopped into the shallow water to retrieve it.
Moments later, a dolphin lunged at Claire and bit down on her right foot.
Claire explained: "The water was brown, and I was facing away so I couldn't actually see it bite down on my foot.
Her partially severed foot poured with blood, with the tendons and bones exposed.
A bystander took off his t-shirt to tie around her foot to stem the bleeding, and Claire was carried to a nearby car and driven to the local hospital.
Investigations are currently underway to determine why the dolphins attacked, as other people have people have been bitten while swimming in the river since, despite there now being warning signs.
Traumatised, Claire Bye, 28, was swimming in a river in Santa Rosa de Yacuma, Bolivia, when a pink river dolphin suddenly sunk it's teeth into her right foot.
Claire was rushed to a local hospital a five-minute drive away, where her open wounds were seen to with 32 stitches.
After four days her condition went downhill as she battled a potentially life-threatening infection and medics advised she be flown to La Paz, the capitol of Bolivia, for further treatment.
After a surgical clean to treat the infection and remove the dead tissue, Claire had to wait another two weeks before she could fly home to the UK.
Once back home, she underwent skin flap surgery, where living tissue was transferred from her groin to her foot, at Southmead Hospital, Bristol.
Claire, an acoustic consultant from Bedminster, Bristol, said: "I've never felt pain like it.
"I remember seeing the dolphin out of the corner of my eye, and then it suddenly lunged at me.
''It wasn't the cute looking dolphins were used to seeing, it had a huge beak with a mouthful of spiky teeth.
"It felt like it had me for 15 minutes, but apparently it was about 20 seconds before it let go and swam away.
"They did the best they could, but I caught an infection that began to spread up my leg.
"I honestly thought I'd lose my foot, or potentially my life."
On 3rd January 2023, only three months into her trip, Claire's travels were cut short by the life-changing injuries.
They were led by an experienced tour guide, and joined by a group of fellow tourists.
The group stopped at the river and spent time swimming and playing with the wild pink river dolphins.
Claire said: "I saw one child try to pick up a dolphin, which made me feel uneasy, so I decided to get out of the water and onto the pontoon.
"That's when the dolphins started to turn aggressive, and a few people got out of the water with scrapes on their legs where they'd been bitten."
Claire decided not to go back into the water, but instead opted to play with the dolphins with a water bottle, as demonstrated by their tour guide, from the safety of the pontoon.
Claire accidentally dropped the water bottle, so she hopped into the shallow water to retrieve it.
Moments later, a dolphin lunged at Claire and bit down on her right foot.
Claire explained: "The water was brown, and I was facing away so I couldn't actually see it bite down on my foot.
Her partially severed foot poured with blood, with the tendons and bones exposed.
A bystander took off his t-shirt to tie around her foot to stem the bleeding, and Claire was carried to a nearby car and driven to the local hospital.
Investigations are currently underway to determine why the dolphins attacked, as other people have people have been bitten while swimming in the river since, despite there now being warning signs.