Young Girl Bitten in the Leg by Rabid Beaver While Swimming in Georgia Lake

Abigail Adams
·2 min read
1

The victim’s identity and condition have not been released by authorities

<p>Getty</p> Beaver

Getty

Beaver

A young girl was attacked by a large, rabid beaver while swimming in a Georgia lake over the weekend.

The victim was at Lake Lanier in the Sardis area Saturday when she was bitten in the leg by the massive beaver, according to local radio station WDUN-AM and ABC affiliate WSB-TV.

The incident happened just offshore on a piece of private property, WSB-TV reported.

The girl’s father eventually intervened and killed the beaver using blunt force, Hall County Animal Control Field Supervisor Kevin Buecker said, per WDUN-AM.

Melissa Cummings, of Georgia's Department of Natural Resources, confirmed to PEOPLE that the beaver was killed by the father after the attack.

The victim’s identity and condition have not been released.

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The beaver tested positive for rabies on Tuesday, the Hall County government said in an alert posted on its Facebook page.

Hall County Public Information Officer Joy Holmes confirmed the positive test results to Access WDUN. Holmes did not immediately responded to PEOPLE’s request for comment.

“Once that rabies virus gets into the brain of the animal — in this case, a beaver — they just act crazy,” McGowan told WSB-TV.

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Beavers are the largest rodent found in the United States, and can weigh between 35 and 65 lbs., according to the Smithsonian’s National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute.

The beaver involved in Saturday’s attack in Georgia was estimated to have weighed between 50 and 55 lbs., DNR Wildlife Resources Supervisor Don McGowan said, according to WSB-TV.

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Signs warning of the positive test “will be posted in the area where the rabid animal was located,” the Hall County government said.

Anyone who sees an animal “acting abnormally in the area” is asked to contact Hall County Animal Services at 770-531-6830, or Hall County Dispatch at 770-536-8812 during non-working hours, according to government officials.

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