A British woman is fighting for her life after a dolphin ripped off part of her right foot while on holiday in Bolivia.
Claire Bye, 28, survived two life-threatening infections and needed 32 stitches after being bitten by the pink river dolphin while swimming in a river in Santa Rosa de Yacuma.
After trying to free herself, she screamed for help as bystanders tried to pull her out of the water.
After 20 seconds the dolphin swam away and Claire was able to get out of the river safely.
Claire said she was “shocked” to find her foot partially cut off and “bleeding”.
Claire Bye (pictured) survived two life-threatening infections and needed 32 stitches after being bitten by a pink river dolphin while swimming in a river in Santa Rosa de Yacuma
Claire said she was “shocked” to find her foot partially cut off and “bleeding”.
She added: “I always thought I was going to lose my footing. My skin was flapping around and I could see my leg.’
Claire was taken five minutes’ drive to a hospital, where her open wounds were treated.
After four days, her condition worsened as she battled a potentially life-threatening infection.
Doctors recommended flying her to La Paz, Bolivia’s capital, for further treatment.
After undergoing surgical debridement to treat the infection and remove the dead tissue, Claire had to wait another two weeks before flying back to the UK.
She underwent skin flap surgery at Southmead Hospital in Bristol and spent a further two weeks recovering.
Claire, acoustics consultant at Bedminster in Bristol said: “I have never experienced pain like this.
“I remember seeing the dolphin out of the corner of my eye and then suddenly pouncing on me.
“It wasn’t the cute dolphin they were used to seeing, it had a big beak with a mouth full of spiky teeth.
“I screamed and screamed, but it just wouldn’t let me go.”
She added: “It felt like it was going to hold me for 15 minutes but apparently it took about 20 seconds to let go and drift away.
“After the attack I was taken to a small local hospital which is not related to the hospitals we have.
“They did their best but I got an infection that spread along my leg.
“I really thought I was going to lose my foot, or possibly my life.”
Claire began her journey in October 2022 with a plan to tour South America and Central America for seven months. On January 3, her journey was cut short by life-changing injuries
Claire began her journey in October 2022 with a plan to tour South America and Central America for seven months.
On January 3, her journey was cut short by life-changing injuries.
Earlier that day, Claire and her boyfriend Louis had set off on a jungle trek to explore the Amazon basin – the part of South America drained by the Amazon.
They were led by an experienced guide and accompanied by a group of other tourists.
The group stopped at the river and spent time swimming and playing with the wild pink river dolphins.
Claire said: “It was mostly children swimming in the water with the dolphins.
“I saw a child trying to pick up a dolphin, which made me uncomfortable, so I decided to get out of the water and get on the pontoon.
“Then the dolphins became aggressive and a few people came out of the water with scratch marks on their legs where they had been bitten.”
Claire decided not to go back into the water, instead playing with them from the safety of the pontoon with a water bottle as their guide had demonstrated.
After a few minutes, Claire accidentally dropped the water bottle, so she jumped into the plain to get it.
Moments later a dolphin attacked her.
Claire said: “The water was brown and I looked away so I couldn’t see it biting my foot.
“People on the pontoon tried to help me up, but I couldn’t move because the dolphin wouldn’t let go.”
After the dolphin released her foot, a bystander removed his t-shirt to tie it around her foot to stop the bleeding, and Claire was carried to a nearby car and driven to the local hospital.
Claire said: “When we got to the hospital my heart sank – it looked more like a barn than a proper hospital.
“The people there were very nice and tried their best to fix my foot, but they had no medicine.
“They gave me an anesthetic injection and my guide had to go to the local pharmacy to buy painkillers.
“After they stitched my foot, I was taken to 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 ant nest in the bathroom and there were no mosquito nets.”
Due to the lack of medical facilities in the area, Claire was transferred to Rurrenabaque, Bolivia – four hours away.
Claire said: “We were warned that if it started raining we could get stuck because the roads are just muddy.
“While we were driving it started to rain and the car was sliding everywhere – it was scary.”
When they got to Rurrenabaque, the hospital was full and Claire had to stay at a nearby hostel.
Claire said: “A man came to see me four times a day to give me antibiotics but he didn’t really look at my foot.”
Her wound became infected and she needed urgent medical attention at Cemes Hospital in La Paz.
After frantic phone calls to the British Embassy, Claire managed to fly to the capital the next day, where she underwent surgical debridement to treat the infection and remove dead tissue.
Claire, who is currently unable to work due to her injuries, said: “After the operation I actually had a big hole in my foot.
“I spent two weeks in hospital in La Paz before flying home to the UK.
“When I finally got home, I went straight to the emergency room and was told I had another infection.
“I had to have a second surgical debridement and then skin flap surgery, which involved grafting tissue from my groin to my foot.
“They also had to stitch the blood vessels together to make the blood flow.
“It was really traumatic.”
She added: “I’ve only recently been allowed to put pressure on my foot and I don’t know how much my mobility will be affected once it heals.
“Personally, I find my foot now looks a bit like a piece of pork wrapped in string.
“I saw a psychologist to deal with the trauma – I had daily flashbacks of the attack.
“I used to love wild swimming and hope to do it in the future, but I will never swim with dolphins again.
“What should have been a beautiful experience changed my life forever. It’s rare that dolphins attack people and I never thought it would happen to me.”
Why the dolphin attacked her is being investigated.
Since the incident, other people have been bitten while swimming in the river, despite the warning signs posted.
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Elizabeth Cabrera is an author and journalist who writes for The Fashion Vibes. With a talent for staying up-to-date on the latest news and trends, Elizabeth is dedicated to delivering informative and engaging articles that keep readers informed on the latest developments.
