Beaver kills fisherman In Belarus: Man Dies Shortly After Taking Photo

Deadly Beaver Attack in Belarus

A beaver attack has caused the death of a 60-year old man in Belarus.

The unnamed Belorusian fisherman was trying to take a photograph with the beaver when the attack occurred.

The victim, who was on an outing with his friends, attempted to pick up the beaver near the banks of a lake. The beaver became aggressive and bit the man several times, severing an artery in the man’s leg.

According to reports:

The fisherman, who has not been named at the request of his family, was driving with friends toward the Shestakovskoye lake, west of the capital, Minsk, when he spotted the beaver along the side of the road and stopped the car. As he tried to grab the animal, it bit him several times. One of the bites hit a major artery in the leg, according to Sulim.

He died shortly after from severe bleeding.

There have been an unusual number of beaver attacks in Belarus during this past year, although this is the first death to have been reported.

Beavers have razor-sharp teeth and can become aggressive if they feel their homes are under threat.

The rodents were once a popular target for European hunters, but bans on hunting have caused Belarus’s beaver population to skyrocket, tripling in the past ten years. As a result of this population surge, beavers have moved their habitats closer to human populations, and the higher probability of interaction means more aggression toward humans.

Eerlier this year, three fisherman in Belarus were attacked by a beaver.

According to reports, The trio had stopped to take pictures of the beaver at Lake Shestakov during their fishing trip. The beaver suddenly attacked the fisherman with the camera, biting him on the thigh. The bite severed the man’s artery.

Despite the efforts to staunch the blood flow, the man shortly bled to death before his friends could get medical assistance.

Beaver attacks are rare and experts say that most occur when the beaver is rabid. Two girls in a Virgina lake were attacked last year.

In addition to the attacks, the beaver population has caused damage to forests. Beavers can weigh up to 65 pounds and grow to three feet tall.

There has never been a reported beaver fatality in Canada.

On The Web:
Beaver kills fisherman In Belarus: Photo Of Horrific Wound Released
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2013/may/29/beaver-kills-man-belarus

Beaver kills fisherman In Belarus
http://www.thestar.com/news/world/2013/05/29/beavers_kill_man_trying_to_pose_for_photo.html