Beaver attacks: Wild footage captures terrifying moment rabies-infected beaver attacks young boy in New Jersey
The terrifying moment a rabies-infected beaver attacked a young boy has been caught on camera, with multiple people now at risk of the potentially fatal disease.
Wild footage has captured the terrifying moment a rabies-infected beaver attacked a young boy, with multiple people now at risk of the potentially fatal disease.
Emergency services were called to a park on Lake Henry in Mahwah, New Jersey, on May 5 after a family fishing trip turned into a horror movie.
Local police say an eight-year-old boy was fishing near the shoreline when a beaver “exited the lake and charged him”, with the terrifying encounter caught on camera.
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Capt. Michael Blondin said that when the child tried to run away, he tripped and the beaver bit him in the upper thigh and continued to attack until a family friend kicked the beaver away.
The angry beaver then continued to circle the boy until he was taken to hospital.
Police have been alerted to multiple other people also being attacked by the same beaver at the park on the same day.
The Mahwah Police Department confirmed the boy was taken to Good Samaritan Hospital in Suffern, New York, after being bitten in the leg.
The local health department put out a warning to locals, saying the beaver had tested positive for rabies.
“Individuals who were bitten are currently receiving treatment,” a statement reads. and urged anyone who had contact with the crazed semi-aquatic rodent to be assessed by a doctor for medical treatment.
“Everyone is advised to avoid wildlife, as any warm-blooded animal can carry rabies.”
Rabies is transmitted through saliva in bites and scratches. Symptoms appear after two to three months and include fever and headache which can then progress to hyperactivity, hallucinations, confusion and hydrophobia (fear of water), according to the Australian Centre for Disease Control.
In a third of cases symptoms progress to paralysis leading to coma and then death.
There is no effective treatment once symptoms appear, however wound cleaning and a series of vaccinations can prevent progression to symptom stage.
The beaver has been removed from the park.
