Beavers are “fiercely territorial and aggressively defend their territory against intruders,” according to Oregon Fish and Wildlife.
WASHINGTON — A beaver that attacked several people, including an 8-year-old boy, at a New Jersey lake over the weekend has tested positive for rabies, local health officials said.
The Mahwah Health Department announced in a social media post May 5 that the beaver made contact with multiple people Sunday at Lake Henry in Bergen County. County officials urged anybody who may have been attacked or interacted with the beaver to seek medical help immediately.
Officials told local TV station PIX11 that the animal bit at least one child during the incident.
Mahwah Capt. Michael Blondin told the station that the young boy was fishing on the Lake Henry shoreline in Continental Soldiers Park at around 6 p.m. Sunday when a beaver “exited the lake and charged him.”
Dawn Cetrulo, the township’s health officer, told USA Today that all individuals exposed to or bitten by the beaver are receiving prophylactic treatment intended to prevent the spread of rabies and are recovering.
Beavers are “fiercely territorial and aggressively defend their territory against intruders,” according to Oregon Fish and Wildlife information on the animals.
Animal control personnel captured the beaver and determined that it showed signs of illness. Animals cannot be tested for rabies while alive, because a confirmed diagnosis requires direct fluorescent antibody (DFA) testing of brain tissue, which means that the animal must be euthanized to carry out the test.
In humans, treatments can be administered for a short time after a potential rabies exposure to prevent the disease from taking hold.
Rabies is a viral disease that affects the nervous system and is typically spread through the bite or saliva of an infected animal. Without prompt treatment, the disease can be fatal, with a long incubation period. Undetected rabies usually has an incubation period of one to three months, although in some cases up to a year can pass with no symptoms.
When they do develop, they at first appear flu-like, before neurological damage begins. Unless immediate post-exposure treatment is given, the disease is almost universally fatal, often within 10 days of symptoms appearing.
Mahwah Township is located about 30 miles north of New York City.