A young girl swimming in a Georgia lake was attacked by a rabid beaver Monday afternoon. The 55-pound animal bit her leg as she swam at Lake Lanier, USA Today reports. Her father "intervened and killed the beaver using blunt-force trauma," according to a statement from Hall County Animal Control. Its body was tested at the state lab and found to have rabies. The little girl is reportedly recovering, according to WSB-TV, which notes that people bit by rabid animals require shots to halt the virus, which is otherwise almost always fatal.
Beaver attacks are rare, with the last one around Lake Lanier about 13 years ago. "Once that rabies virus gets into the brain of the animal—in this case, a beaver—they just act crazy," the state Department of Natural Resources' Wildlife Resources Supervisor Don McGowan says. He spoke to the game warden who investigated, and says, "It's the biggest beaver he's ever seen. He estimated it at 50 or 55 pounds which is about as big as they get in Georgia." Alert signs were put up in the area to warn people about the rabid animal, and the county asked that residents report any strange animal behaviors they witness. (More rabies stories.)
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