Beaver Attacks 95 lb Labrador at Medford Creek
Sunday, July 29, 2018
According to Wikipedia Beavers continue to grow throughout their lives. Adult specimens weighing over 25 kg (55 lb) are not uncommon. Females are as large as or larger than males of the same age, which is uncommon among mammals. Beavers live up to 24 years of age in the wild.
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MEDFORD – A veterinarian who's been practicing medicine in South Jersey for more than 40 years called it "the craziest thing I've ever seen."
A beaver attacked a large dog walking with its owner along the Rancocas Creek in Medford Wednesday, nearly dragging the dog underwater.
Dr. William Pettit at Peticote Veterinary Clinic in Southampton, who treated the 95-pound yellow Labrador, said the owner was walking with the dog in a wooded area off Branch Street when a beaver approached him.
Pettit said the dog got between the beaver and his owner, and that was when the rodent attacked, biting the dog's hind leg and dragging it toward the water.
"It probably would have been successful, too," Pettit said, "if the owner hadn't stepped in and stopped it."
The dog's owner hit the beaver repeatedly in its face until it retreated, Pettit said.
The 3-year-old dog "was bitten severely," Pettit added, and left with a 3- to 4-inch gash on its leg.
The incident, which happened around 6 p.m., prompted Medford Township police to issue a warning to residents to be cautious when walking dogs near wooded areas and waterways, a warning Pettit echoed. Dog owners should keep their dogs leashed and exercise caution.
Tip submitted by Babe T.
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