Just when you thought it was safe to go for a swim. Oh no! Another beaver attack! Poor man got stitches and all he did to provoke the ruthless toothed marauder was punch it in the head!
Beaver Wins This Round: Bites Man’s Hand After Taking Punch in Fairfax County, Say Police
FAIRFAX COUNTY, VA — A beaver bit a man on the hand Sunday night after the man punched the animal near a pond in the Falls Church area of Fairfax County, according to Fairfax County Police.
The man says the incident began when the beaver came out of the water, bit his shoe and wouldn’t let go. The incident took place just before 7:30 p.m. Sunday near Montauk Court and New Providence Drive (see map below). The man, 52, reported to police that he was at the water’s edge when the beaver came out of the water and bit his shoe.
In an attempt to get the beaver to release his bite, the man punched the beaver in the head several times and then fell backward, police said. The beaver’s bite did not break the skin, but the man sustained a cut to the hand, according to police.
Not the brand new Ferragamos! No wonder he punched the rodent several times. Apparently the beaver never broke the skin but his attacker did. Good Lord.
Animal cruelty aside, there appears to be a 600 mile stretch of rabies-exposed beavers in the East, st
retching from North Carolina to Maryland. Here’s a partial list of the attacks I reported last year that were determined to be rabies. Of course its hard to tease out whether the cause because they all happen in the summer when A) folks are swimming and B) beavers are protecting young. They can only test the brains of dead beavers for rabies, but its safe to say that at least SOME of these are rabid because you never read about a beaver attack in the midwest or California for instance.
Be careful out there.
