Rabid beaver attacks elderly woman, An 83-year-old woman from Washington, D.C., is recovering after she was attacked by a beaver that had rabies. The woman reportedly had just finished a night swim when she says the 35-pound animal knocked her to the ground and bit her in the leg . She says spent 20 minutes trying to fight the beaver off .
All of a sudden it came back to life': Woman, 83, lucky to be alive after rabid beaver attacks FOUR timesAn 83-year-old woman is recovering in hospital after being attacked by a 35-pound, 24-inch rabid beaver in Fairfax County, Washington.
Lillian Peterson was knocked to the ground by the beaver as she climbed out of Lake Barcroft after her nightly swim.
A 20 minute ordeal then ensued as the beaver sunk its large orange teeth into Peterson's leg and refused to let go. Four times the animal attacked as she and a friend battled it with canoe paddles, a stick and even their bare hands.
'It bit me so bad,' Peterson told The Washington Post from her bed at Inova Fairfax Hospital. 'I started kicking it with my other leg, but I wasn’t sure what I would do.'Peterson's life was saved by the good fortune that her real estate co-worker, Mike Korin, was also at the lake that night, giving a fishing lesson.
Korin, an avid fisherman and ex-US Forest Service employee, saw the beaver swimming toward Peterson.
'I heard horrible yelling and knew it was the real deal,' Korin said. 'She was saying, "I can’t get out of its grip. It’s got me".'Korin fired up the engines on his boat and began heading across the lake. He also dialed 911.
Peterson was attempting to fight back against the animal with a walking stick. She also gouged the beaver in its eyes, thinking she could blind it, but still it wouldn't stop.
During the struggle, the beaver took a bite out of her left calf, nearly bit off her thumb, and left puncture wounds all over her arms and legs.When Korin approached the scene in his boat, the animal let go of Peterson and swam at him. Korin picked up a canoe paddle and 'started beating savagely' on the beaver, breaking the paddle in the process.
That attack seemed to stun the animal. Korin turned his attention to helping Peterson out of the water, only for the beaver to come at them again. Korin once again beat it back with his paddle.
With the ordeal now seeming over, an emergency medical crew arrived and began treating Peterson. But the relief was short-lived.
'All of a sudden, the beaver flips over and comes back to life,' Korin said.One of the paramedics grabbed another canoe paddle and beat the animal for a fourth time. Korin was able to trap the animal using a net and it was euthanized by animal control officers when they arrived.
Peterson was treated for rabies, after the beaver tested positive for the virus. An animal behaving strangely is often a sign that it has rabies.
Such attacks are exceedingly rare in suburban Washington and this was the first in Fairfax County in at least 12 years, said authorities.
The Lake Barcroft Association has advised residents not to swim in the lake for the time being. Advice that Peterson will be sticking to.
'There is no way I will swim in that place again,' she said.
All of a sudden it came back to life': Woman, 83, lucky to be alive after rabid beaver attacks FOUR timesAn 83-year-old woman is recovering in hospital after being attacked by a 35-pound, 24-inch rabid beaver in Fairfax County, Washington.
Lillian Peterson was knocked to the ground by the beaver as she climbed out of Lake Barcroft after her nightly swim.
A 20 minute ordeal then ensued as the beaver sunk its large orange teeth into Peterson's leg and refused to let go. Four times the animal attacked as she and a friend battled it with canoe paddles, a stick and even their bare hands.
'It bit me so bad,' Peterson told The Washington Post from her bed at Inova Fairfax Hospital. 'I started kicking it with my other leg, but I wasn’t sure what I would do.'Peterson's life was saved by the good fortune that her real estate co-worker, Mike Korin, was also at the lake that night, giving a fishing lesson.
Korin, an avid fisherman and ex-US Forest Service employee, saw the beaver swimming toward Peterson.
'I heard horrible yelling and knew it was the real deal,' Korin said. 'She was saying, "I can’t get out of its grip. It’s got me".'Korin fired up the engines on his boat and began heading across the lake. He also dialed 911.
Peterson was attempting to fight back against the animal with a walking stick. She also gouged the beaver in its eyes, thinking she could blind it, but still it wouldn't stop.
During the struggle, the beaver took a bite out of her left calf, nearly bit off her thumb, and left puncture wounds all over her arms and legs.When Korin approached the scene in his boat, the animal let go of Peterson and swam at him. Korin picked up a canoe paddle and 'started beating savagely' on the beaver, breaking the paddle in the process.
That attack seemed to stun the animal. Korin turned his attention to helping Peterson out of the water, only for the beaver to come at them again. Korin once again beat it back with his paddle.
With the ordeal now seeming over, an emergency medical crew arrived and began treating Peterson. But the relief was short-lived.
'All of a sudden, the beaver flips over and comes back to life,' Korin said.One of the paramedics grabbed another canoe paddle and beat the animal for a fourth time. Korin was able to trap the animal using a net and it was euthanized by animal control officers when they arrived.
Peterson was treated for rabies, after the beaver tested positive for the virus. An animal behaving strangely is often a sign that it has rabies.
Such attacks are exceedingly rare in suburban Washington and this was the first in Fairfax County in at least 12 years, said authorities.
The Lake Barcroft Association has advised residents not to swim in the lake for the time being. Advice that Peterson will be sticking to.
'There is no way I will swim in that place again,' she said.
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