Maryland Boy Undergoes Multiple Surgeries After Rabid Beaver Attack

A 14-year-old boy has undergone three surgeries and received multiple rounds of rabies shots following a vicious attack by a rabid beaver while swimming in Cunningham Falls State Park, Maryland, on July 29.

Dominick Cebula was underwater at the park in Frederick County when he felt something latch onto his chest. His mother saw the animal approaching him and called out, but he did not hear her. Dominick's father told WUSA9 that his son grabbed the beaver's head and a leg in an attempt to remove it. The animal then shook its head aggressively before the boy managed to pull it off.

The beaver reportedly jumped at Dominick again, biting both of his hands as he defended himself. "I thought they were going to have to amputate my finger because the bite was down to the bone," Dominick told The Frederick News Post (FNP). The boy described the encounter as graphic, with "a lot that was missing" from his chest wounds.

Frederick County Animal Control captured and euthanized the beaver, with subsequent testing confirming it was rabid, according to the Maryland Department of Natural Resources. Dominick was airlifted to Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore for treatment. He has since been released, with his arms bandaged from hands to elbows.

Dominick faces another surgery to reattach a severed nerve in his right hand. He reported numbness in parts of his hands and chest, describing his recovery as "unnoticeable, slow." Despite his injuries, he has maintained a positive outlook, celebrating his 14th birthday and starting high school.

His father expressed hope that Dominick would fully recover in time to begin wrestling season in October at Walkersville High School. His aunt suggested that Dominick's wrestling training may have contributed to his ability to fight off the animal during the attack. She also established a GoFundMe page to support his recovery.