A beaver attacked a New York man who was paddling the Irondequoit Creek (about 7 miles outside of Rochester) last week and knocked him out of the boat and into the water.
The victim, Michael Cavanaugh of Lima, NY is recovering after being treated in the hospital for bite wounds on his back and deep puncture wounds on his arm. He is also being treated for rabies as a precaution.
BayCreek Paddling Center trainer Nate Reynolds saw part of the attack.
“I heard my name called out from the shop and I ran out the door to see a guy getting pulled into the water,” Reynolds said, describing the attack. “It was like watching a horror film.”
Reynolds said Cavanaugh was able to get to his feet and approach the dock, but the beaver would not let go of him, so Reynolds hit the beaver with a nearby paddle several times.
Source: paddling.net
