Beaver attacks 67-year-old paddleboarder on lake

ASHEVILLE, N.C. — A 67-year-old woman says she was attacked by a beaver while paddleboarding on a lake named for the rodent in North Carolina.

Betsy Bent told the Citizen-Times of Asheville that the beaver knocked her board over from underneath the water Friday at Beaver Lake, then latched on to her leg and wouldn't let go.

The 67-year-old paddleboarder said a fisherman on the lake knocked the beaver off her twice, but it attacked again before letting her go. Bent needed stitches and rabies shots.

Asheville police said an animal control officer caught the beaver the next day, and the animal is being tested for rabies.

Bent said she thinks it was just a bizarre incident and plans to go paddleboarding again.

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