Police are at their wits end after a string of attacks on unsuspecting swimmers and sunbathers. It seems the area surrounding a favorite swimming hole has become ground zero in a rash of attacks by over excited beavers. An official said the attacks may be the result of just one very hyper-aggressive beaver but they have not ruled out the possibility that it could be a group of the furry little critters that has put swimmers in Switzerland on high alert.
Long time residents in the area around the alpine city of Schaffhausen have been warned to stay safe and resist the urge to go into the water. The alert from authorities came following reports by at least two swimmers who say they were attacked and sustained wounds on the same day. The victims told police they believe they were attacked by just one animal, but there could have been more.
The victims include an eight-year-old boy and an adult woman and both have sustained multiple wounds after having fallen prey to the toothy mammal, which lives in the river Rhine. The local newspaper, 20 Minuten, reports that the boy was bitten at least once on the shoulder and as he tried to get away was received and additional would on the butt as he was swimming back to the shore.
Investigators say that later the same evening an unidentified woman was also attacked and received at least one sever bite on her leg. Police said that the assault was so brutal that the woman had to be transported to a local hospital for treatment of the wound, where it required several stitches to close the wound.
Wildlife experts said that beavers are not normally known to be aggressive animals or likely to launch an attack on humans. But attacks are not unknown and the animals can become aggressive especially if they feel their Nests or young are being threatened by humans. Experts also say that while it is not common, beavers have been know to carry Rabies and that should always be a consideration when animals exhibit unusual behavior.
Officials in Schaffhausen say that in any case, they are going to attempt to capture the wayward animal and relocate to an area less popular with local swimmers. In the mean time they confirmed they are putting up signs warning of the attacks and advising would be swimmers to stay out of the water at least until such time as the offender or offenders have been captured and moved to another area. One officials told the newspaper, “we have been lucky so far, depending on the size of the beaver, an attack can be a very serious thing.” We just want all would-be swimmers to be aware of the potential dangers that an attack could present to them.
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