Rabid beaver killed by father after young daughter bitten, officials say

LAKE LANIER, Ga. (WANF/Gray News) - Officials in Georgia said a beaver that was killed after it bit a young girl at Lake Lanier tested positive for rabies.

WANF reports the beaver bit the girl Saturday and was killed by the girl’s father after.

The Georgia Department of Natural Resources (DNR) was then contacted about the incident, and the Hall County Animal Control stepped in to investigate.

Georgia DNR said there was no evidence of baby beavers in the area.

No details were given on the girl’s condition.

Officials said two other people had also come into contact with a rabid beaver in the Sardis area of Gainesville. The beaver was taken to the Georgia Public Health Lab Virology Section in Decatur.

Officials are posting positive alert signs in the area where the beaver was found.

Anyone who finds an animal acting abnormally in the area is urged to call Hall County Animal Services at 770-531-6830 or call Hall County Dispatch at 770-536-8812.

Copyright 2023 WANF via Gray Media Group, Inc. All rights reserved.