Beaver attacks couple in Killingly, Connecticut

Posted by Wayne G. Barber

The Dayville Fire Company was dispatched at approximately 7 p.m. to a boat launch off Route 101 on the Killingly/Pomfret border near Litchfield Avenue for a report of an animal bite, Chief Kevin Ide said.

“The couple’s dog went into the river there and the young woman had waded in,” Ide said. “The beaver attacked the girl, biting her on her side and finger.”

Ide said the man attempted to pull the animal off the woman and was bitten on the back of his leg.

“We treated the two individuals and they were transported to Day Kimball Hospital where they were stitched up, given rabies treatments and released,” he said.

The dog was not injured, Ide said.

Ide said the attack took place on the Quinebaug River not too far from another controversial animal incident.

In April, a male swan reportedly attacked several boaters near a nesting area on Five Mile Pond in Danielson. The swan was later euthanized by state workers. The incident prompted an outcry by residents and some state officials who claim less harsh measures should have been taken in addressing the incident.

The state Department of Energy and Environmental Protection is investigating the beaver attack, Ide said. In a press release issued Tuesday, the department warned swimmers to avoid the Quinebaug River in the vicinity of the Route 101 bridge. The agency identified the injured couple as a 20-year-old man and a 19-year-old woman.

"(Environmental Conservation) police launched a search for the animal," according to the statement. "They did encounter a beaver exhibiting aggressive behavior (Tuesday) near the bridge on Route 101, but they were unable to capture the animal."

The department said beavers do not appear to be making homes in the immediate area of the attack, though officials did find a beaver den and some beavers living in the bank of the river south of the incident area. The department was unable to determine if the attacking beaver was healthy or had rabies, officials said.

According to a department fact sheet, conflicts between beavers and humans have increased in recent years due to "human encroachment on wildlife habitat and a growing and expanding beaver population." In some cases, beaver activity can threaten property, crops or public health and safety, according to the department.

"Removing nuisance beavers by live-trapping is not considered a viable option for alleviating beaver problems in Connecticut," according to the department. "This costly technique only serves to move a problem from one site to another. In addition, there are few unoccupied areas where beavers can be moved and not cause another problem. Relocated animals seldom stay in the area where they are released."

Ide said that before Monday’s call, he’d never been called to a beaver attack in town.

“I’m not sure if there were young in the area or not,” he said. “But we certainly don’t live alone in this world.”