Add The New York Post on Google A teenager underwent multiple surgeries after a rabid beaver attacked him while he was visiting a state park in Maryland with his family.
Dominick Cebula, 13, was enjoying a swim at Cunningham Falls State Park and looking at fish underwater July 26 when he felt the animal latch onto his chest and refuse to let go.
“He grabbed its head and a leg, and he tried to get it off of him,” his father, Jeff Cebula, told WUSA 9. “At that point, he kind of felt that it was locked onto him. And then it started shaking its head, kind of like a dog would do.”
Dominick Cebula, 13, is recovering from severe wounds and nerve damage after a rabid beaver attacked him during a family trip on July 26 at Cunningham Falls State Park in Frederick, Maryland. WUSA9 The frantic teen was able to free himself from the beaver’s toothy grasp, but as he backed away it struck again, lunging and biting his right hand.
After fighting it off a second time, Dominick was airlifted to Johns Hopkins Hospital to have his wounds treated and receive a course of rabies post-exposure treatment.
“It’s not just one shot,” Jeff Cebula said. “It’s multiple shots around each bite site.”
The teen endured three surgeries to treat wounds the animal left on his chest and hands, as well as repair severe nerve damage he suffered in the attack.
The incident marred an otherwise delightful 30-year tradition of annual family visits to the park, leaving Jeff Cebula wondering how it could have happened after so many peaceful summers.
“I think that now I’m going to be a lot more aware of my surroundings,” he said.
The beaver latched onto Dominick’s chest and refused to let go. WUSA9 While he’s still on the road to recovery, his wild summer vacation story – with the bite marks to prove it – made him “pretty popular on the first day of school” as he shared his harrowing tale with classmates, his dad told the outlet.
The attack on Dominick Cebula was one of three similar incidents involving rabid beavers reported in Maryland in the last few weeks, including an attack on a fisherman at the same park 10 days later.
A rabid beaver also attacked a 10-year-old in a canoe at Seneca Creek State Park around 40 miles south.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported a 17% increase in rabies-related inquiries this summer.
