"A beaver that was bludgeoned to death by the father of a young girl has tested positive for rabies, according to Hall County officials.
The girl was reportedly bitten on the leg by the beaver in the Sardis Road area of Lake Lanier prior to the animal being tested. The father then killed the animal with blunt force. The beaver “had contact” with a total of two people in the area before it was “shipped to the Georgia Public Health Lab – Virology Section in Decatur” for testing."
This is the real Lanier horror story, imho. Sardis Road is in NW Hall County. Glad they were able to test the animal and get the girl treatment. Have had a rabid racoon before at my house there.
We know. The potential for humor in a story like this is impossible to ignore, but Mark’s situation was far more serious than it appears on the surface. The 73-year old from Massachusetts nearly lost his life.
As the story goes, Mark went for his daily bike ride and decided to stop at his favorite pond. He told The Recorder that he often swims in the pond and hasn’t had any issues for 50 years. This time, a beaver struck.
“He surfaced near my head and grabbed my head,” said Mark. “He went to bite my head. I punched him a couple of times. I just had to take the licking and get to shore. By the time I got to shore, I was exhausted. If I had to swim 10 more yards, I would have drowned. … If he had come onshore, he would have finished me off. I would not have been able to fight him off. He would have finished killing me.”
If it isn’t clear by now, Mark is lucky to be alive. While beavers aren’t known to be particularly dangerous fighters, this one benefitted from a combination of Mark’s advanced age and the element of complete surprise.
Fox5 sparing us the gory details
"Rabid beaver bludgeoned to death by father after girl bitten"
https://www.gainesvilletimes.com/news/public-safety/beaver-tests-positive-rabies-gainesville/
"A beaver that was bludgeoned to death by the father of a young girl has tested positive for rabies, according to Hall County officials.
The girl was reportedly bitten on the leg by the beaver in the Sardis Road area of Lake Lanier prior to the animal being tested. The father then killed the animal with blunt force. The beaver “had contact” with a total of two people in the area before it was “shipped to the Georgia Public Health Lab – Virology Section in Decatur” for testing."
This is the real Lanier horror story, imho. Sardis Road is in NW Hall County. Glad they were able to test the animal and get the girl treatment. Have had a rabid racoon before at my house there.
The time a 73 yr old guy almost lost his battle: https://outsider.com/outdoors/rabid-beaver-attacks-nearly-kills-73-year-old-massachusetts-man/