| brassmonkey |
08-03-2012 06:56 AM |
Nasty Beaver
Beaver attack at Falls Lake prompts caution :Buck: :Buck: :Buck:
Wake County officials are urging people to take caution around wildlife, following a July beaver attack at Falls Lake.
A beaver approached two people in the Holly Point recreation site swimming area July 15, Falls Lake Superintendent Scott Kershner said. The beaver bit one swimmer and hit the other, causing lacerations. The beaver was killed the next day, and the two people are undergoing treatment to avoid contracting rabies.
Animals that could possibly have rabies are typically tested at a lab in Raleigh. In this case, the beaver sank to the bottom of the lake when it was killed, so it was unavailable for rabies testing. But it is highly unusual for a beaver to approach humans, and one possible explanation of the behavior is rabies, Kershner added.
?Any time any wildlife approaches you, you need to be suspicious of it because that is not normal behavior,? he said, noting that beavers usually avoid public swimming areas.
The county encourages people who visit the lake not to approach or feed stray animals ? including cats and dogs ? and to make sure their pets have updated rabies vaccines, among other measures.
?Anyone visiting Falls Lake and the surrounding areas should be cautious, as rabies is frequently spread from one animal to another, and there may be more infected animals in the area,? Sue Ledford, Wake County community health director, said in a Thursday press release.
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