Muskie Suspected of Attacking 10 Year Old

Maren Kesselhon of Duluth, MN, is recovering from “razor-sharp” lacerations on her leg that stem from an underwater attack on Island Lake in northern Minnesota. Maren, along with her two sisters, were taking turns riding a paddleboard behind her dad’s 16-foot boat. “I just jumped off because it was hot, and five seconds later I could feel the whooshing, and I could feel my foot in its mouth. I kicked it, because it was instinct,” Maren told ABC Eyewitness News. Maren started yelling as she fought off the aggressor, getting the attention of her nearby family. “I couldn’t figure out what she was screaming about,” Ryan Kesselhon, her father, said. “The doctors felt very confident it was a fish by how razor-sharp all the cuts were. Others speculate an otter is to blame, as a similar attack took place on the same lake in 2012. Then, surfacing just a few feet away was an otter, which dove back under and “ferociously” attacked her legs, according to the StarTribune. The family and doctors firmly believe this was no otter.
Muskie attacks swimmer
A large Muskellunge is believed to be the attacker of 10-year-old Maren Kesselhon, according to doctors.

Maren Kesselhon of Duluth, MN, is recovering from “razor-sharp” lacerations on her leg that stem from an underwater attack on Island Lake in northern Minnesota. Surgery was needed to repair the bone-deep cuts and tendon damage, which doctors believe to be the work of a muskie.

It happened last week when the 10-year-old’s family was having a relaxing evening on the boat. Maren, along with her two sisters, were taking turns riding a paddleboard behind her dad’s 16-foot boat.

“I just jumped off because it was hot, and five seconds later I could feel the whooshing, and I could feel my foot in its mouth. I kicked it, because it was instinct,” Maren told ABC Eyewitness News.

Maren started yelling as she fought off the aggressor, getting the attention of her nearby family.

“I couldn’t figure out what she was screaming about,” Ryan Kesselhon,…

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