Dominick Cebula, 13, has undergone three surgeries after a rabid beaver attacked him during a family swim at Cunningham Falls State Park in Maryland on July 26.
The teenager was looking at fish underwater when the animal latched onto his chest and refused to release its grip, his father, Jeff Cebula, told WUSA 9.
“He grabbed its head and a leg, and he tried to get it off of him,” Jeff Cebula said. “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.”
The frantic teen managed to free himself from the beaver’s toothy grasp, but the animal lunged again as he backed away, biting his right hand. After fighting it off a second time, Dominick was airlifted to Johns Hopkins Hospital for wound treatment and rabies post-exposure treatment.
“It’s not just one shot,” Jeff Cebula explained of the medical protocol. “It’s multiple shots around each bite site.”
The beaver later tested positive for rabies. Dominick endured three surgeries to treat wounds on his chest and hands, as well as to repair severe nerve damage from the attack.
The incident shattered an otherwise delightful 30-year tradition of annual family visits to the park. Jeff Cebula told WUSA 9 he has been left wondering how such an attack could occur after so many peaceful summers.
“I think that now I’m going to be a lot more aware of my surroundings,” he said.
Despite his injuries, Dominick’s wild summer vacation story 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 was one of three similar incidents involving rabid beavers reported in Maryland in recent weeks. A rabid beaver attacked a fisherman at the same park just 10 days later. Around 40 miles south, a rabid beaver also attacked a 10-year-old in a canoe at Seneca Creek State Park.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has reported a 17% increase in rabies-related inquiries this summer.