It's a scene we all know: A little girl was enjoying her summer, swimming in the warm waters of Georgia's Lake Lanier. Then, a scene we never want to know: Without warning, she was attacked by a huge, rabid beaver.
The splashes and screams of the attack caught the attention of the girl's father, who jumped to action and headed straight for the crazed animal, according to the Georgia Department of Natural Resources and local news sources.
The girl's father came to her rescue and beat the beaver to death.
The ambush occurred on July 8 as the girl was swimming in front of private property in the northern end of Lake Lanier, near Gainesville, Hall County Animal Control Field Supervisor Kevin Beucker told WDUN-AM.
Following the incident, the beaver's body was sent to the Georgia Public Health Lab - Virology Section for testing, WDUN reported. The results came back that the beaver tested positive for rabies, according to Hall County Public Information Officer Joy Holmes.
When Beavers Attack
It's pretty rare for a beavers to attack humans without provocation, but it does happen. In at least one instance, a beaver killed a man when one bite from its large teeth severed the artery in the man's leg.
A father and daughter duo were attacked by yet another rabid beaver while kayaking in Pennsylvania in 2018. In that instance, the dad punched the angry beaver when it attempted to bite his daughter.
A Connecticut woman was attacked in 2016 while swimming in the Quinnebaug River. Her report is accompanied by gruesome photos resulting from the attack.
"I shoved my hand in its mouth to get it to release me and tore the ligament in my thumb," she reported. "I had no idea what it was while screaming bloody murder until Gahrett Bond jumped in and unclamped its jaw from me and pushed me away. While he was swimming away it grabbed his leg and he was bit. We did not provoke this beaver, we had no idea it was there because he attacked underwater. We did nothing to this beaver. But they do attack viciously."
That being said, we know that rabies, which spreads from animal to animal, causes creatures to act out of character including being aggressive.
READ MORE: What Does Alaska's First Rabid Moose Mean for Hunting Season?
