A British woman on the holiday of a lifetime was left fighting for her life after she was attacked by a dolphin during a wild swim.
Clare Bye, 28 was swimming in a river in Santa Rosa de Yacuma, Bolivia during a guided tour when a pink river dolphin sunk its teeth into her right foot.
Her screams were heard by onlookers who frantically rushed to rescue her from the creature's grip but it took a whole 20 seconds before the mammal released her and swam away, Wales Online reports. Claire was able to climb out of the water to safety but was 'horrified' when she saw her wounded foot had been partially severed and was 'pouring with blood'.
The traumatised 28-year-old said: "I just kept thinking I was going to lose my foot. My skin was flapping around and I could see my bone." She was rushed to a local hospital where her deep wounds required 32 stitches.
After four days her health went downhill as she battled a potentially life-threatening infection and doctors advised she be flown to La Paz, the capital of Bolivia for further treatment. Claire had to wait another two weeks before she could fly home to the UK following a surgical clean to treat the infection and remove the dead tissue.
Once she was back home in Bristol, she underwent skin flap surgery which involved transferring living tissue from her groin to her foot and spent a further two weeks in Southmead Hospital, Bristol recovering.
The acoustic consultant 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. I screamed and screamed, but it just wouldn't let go of me.
"It felt like it had me for 15 minutes, but apparently it was about 20 seconds before it let go and swam away. After the attack, I was taken to a tiny local hospital that was nothing like the hospitals we have.
"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."
Claire set off on the trip of a lifetime in October 2022 with plans to travel around South America and Central America for seven months. However, only three months into her trip her travels were cut short in January 2023 by her life-changing injuries.
On the day of the incident, Claire and her friend Louis embarked on a guided jungle trek to explore the Amazon Basin which is the part of South America drained by the Amazon River. 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: "There were mostly children swimming in the water with the dolphins.
"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 and instead played with the dolphins using a water bottle, as demonstrated by their tour guide, from the safety of the pontoon. After a few minutes, Claire accidentally dropped the water bottle, so she jumped into the shallow water to retrieve it.
Moments later, a dolphin lunged at Claire and bit into her right foot and held her down so she couldn't break free from it's grip. Claire explained: "The water was brown, and I was facing away so I couldn't actually see it bite down on my foot.
"The people on the pontoon tried to help pull me up, but I couldn't move because the dolphin wasn't letting go." The aquatic mammal eventually released her foot, allowing her to climb out of the water to safety.
Her severed foot was pouring with blood with the tendons and bones exposed and a bystander took of his t-shirt to tie around her foot to stop the bleeding. Speaking of the aftermath of the incident, Claire recalled: "When we arrived at the hospital my heart sunk - it was more like a farmyard than an actual hospital.
"The people there were very kind and did the best they could to sew up my foot, but they didn't have any drugs. They gave me a shot of anaesthetic, and my tour guide had to go out the local pharmacy to buy some pain relief.
"After they sewed up my foot, I was taken into a room to recover. There was blood on the floor, and I wasn't sure if it was my blood or someone else's.
"There was an ants' nest in the bathroom and there were no mosquito nets." Due to the severe lack of medical facilities in the area, Claire was transferred to Rurrenabaque, Bolivia - a four-hour drive away.
Claire said: "We were warned that if it started to rain, we could get stuck because the roads were just mud. It started to rain while we were driving, and the car was sliding around all over the place - it was terrifying."
The nightmare continued once they arrived in Rurrenabague as the hospital was full and Claire had to stay in a nearby hostel. She explained: "A man came to check on me four times a day to give me antibiotics, but he wasn't really paying attention to my foot."
That was when her wound became infected and she required urgent medical treatment from Cemes Hospital in La Paz, Bolivia's capital city. After frantic calls to the British embassy, Claire managed to fly to the capital the following day, where she underwent a surgical clean to treat the infection and remove the dead tissue.
The 28-year-old who is currently unable to work due to her injuries said: "After the surgery, I basically had a huge hole in my foot. I spent two weeks in hospital in La Paz before I was able to fly home to the UK. By the time I eventually returned home, I went straight to A&E and was told I had another infection.
"I had to have a second surgical clean, and then skin flap surgery where tissue from my groin was transplanted to my foot. They also had to sew the blood vessels together to keep the blood flowing. It's been really traumatic.
"I've only recently been allowed to put pressure on my foot, and I don't know how badly my mobility will be affected once it heals. I personally think my foot looks a bit like a piece of pork wrapped in string at the moment.
"I've seen a psychologist to help deal with the trauma - I used to have daily flashbacks of the attack. I used to really love wild swimming and I hope to be able to do it in the future, but I'll never swim with dolphins again.
''I feel quite lost at the moment, I don't really know what to do. I wish I'd never gone back into the water, it's hard to think about how life would be if it happened.
''I was really disappointed that my travels were cut short so early. I had hoped I might be able to carry on, but as time went on I knew I'd have to come home. But after such a trauma, I'm glad I'm at home where everything feels safe and familiar.
"What should have been a beautiful experience changed my life forever, it's incredibly rare for dolphins to attack humans and I never thought it would happen to me." The incident is currently being investigated as other people have since been bitten in the river despite there now being warning signs in place.
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