14 comments

  • delichon 1 hour ago
    > The injured fisherman in today’s attack, a 19-year-old male, appeared to have sustained a bite to the ankle and transported himself

    A disease that propagates itself by making animals want to bite other animals. I suppose rabies is the base phenomenon behind the zombie meme. It's also a good description of a large fraction of social media posts.

    • senordevnyc 1 hour ago
      It's also a good description of a large fraction of social media posts.

      Case in point.

    • Razengan 1 hour ago
      It's amazing how microorganisms, including that Cordyceps fungus, can "control" macro nervous systems so specifically..
  • peri-cl 2 hours ago
    • binaryturtle 1 hour ago
      Thanks! The original link gave me a 403 only.
      • wolvoleo 36 minutes ago
        Yeah seems to be for everyone outside the US
  • bogzz 1 hour ago
    This must be payback for us harvesting their delicious anal glands all those years ago.

    https://www.npr.org/sections/thesalt/2014/03/26/293406191/do...

    • fwipsy 1 hour ago
      Well ackshually...

      > Beaver food flavoring doesn't actually come from the animal's anal gland but from another organ next to it, called the castor sac.

      I still wouldn't try it, myself.

      • bogzz 1 hour ago
        The nuance takes some of the humor out of the notion of eating beaver ass, though. That weighty tail hides a delectable treat.
        • caminante 9 minutes ago
          Humor is still there.

          You're eating beaver back sac.

    • suslik 31 minutes ago
      I wonder how was it first discovered how beaver anal glands taste like.
  • lithocarpus 2 hours ago
    "Beaver attacks on people are rare and are thought to primarily involve rabid animals" - the article
  • adzm 2 hours ago
    Confirmed rabies positive by the way.
    • lenerdenator 17 minutes ago
      Good thing he went to the doctor. Potential rabies is one of those "you gotta do it" deals.
  • tomcam 2 hours ago
    "Beaver Attack" was not on my 2026 Hacker News headline bingo card
    • rdx-amw 46 minutes ago
      Sounds like a Primus song but not quite.
      • andy99 17 minutes ago
        Do you think someone tickled his chin and gave him a pinch?
  • zabzonk 36 minutes ago
    My little brother was attacked once in France by a coypu. Needed medical attention. Beavers (we already have coypu) are being re-introduced into the UK, so maybe this sort of thing will increase here.
    • knodi123 30 minutes ago
      A møøse once bit my sister.
  • zx8080 7 minutes ago
    "403 forbidden". Thank you very much.
  • nwatson 44 minutes ago
    We better hope there aren't cuts to -rabies wild animal vaccines. These have cut down incidents like these in large degree, https://www.aphis.usda.gov/national-wildlife-programs/rabies... .

    QUOTE:

    The National Rabies Management Program was established in recognition of the changing scope of rabies. The goal of the program is to prevent the further spread of wildlife rabies and eventually eliminate terrestrial rabies in the United States through an integrated program that involves the use of oral rabies vaccination targeting wild animals.

    Since 1995, Wildlife Services (WS) has been working cooperatively with local, State, and Federal governments, universities and other partners to address this public health problem by distributing oral rabies vaccination (ORV) baits in targeted areas. This cooperative program targets the raccoon variant, canine variant in coyotes and a unique variant of gray fox rabies.

  • cactusplant7374 31 minutes ago
    If a beaver does approach you, what's the best way to defend yourself?
    • foobar1962 0 minutes ago
      Make like a tree and leaf?
    • Izikiel43 29 minutes ago
      Kicking it? It’s not a mountain lion.
      • cactusplant7374 25 minutes ago
        I wonder if a walking stick or trekking pole could be used to bash or stab it. Hard to tell how fast they can move when under the influence of rabies.
    • knodi123 29 minutes ago
      toss a raw tree trunk to distract him, and run in the opposite direction.
  • profsummergig 1 hour ago
    The heat is driving me crazy too.
  • Fricken 1 hour ago
    • knodi123 29 minutes ago
      wow, that was a pretty fast copyright takedown.
  • walrus01 1 hour ago