I read this in the new North American Hunter Mag. and thought it would have interesting feedback in here. Here it is

HARPERS, FERRY, WV--- July 11, 2003, started out as a perfect day for an evening picnic in the outskirts of Harpers Ferry, West Virginia. While her parents, Jackie and Robin Hays, and friends were preparing for a pig roast during the afternoon, 8-year old Maddison and a few friends decided to play in the shallow water of the Shannondale, West Virgina, a suburb of Harpers Ferry.
But the day didnt stay perfect. Around 3:30p.m., Robin Hays said " I heard a blood-curdling scream, and when i got to the rivier bank, I saw Maddision screaming and a huge beaver clamped onto her left hand."
Robin Hays says she shook her daughter' s arm to free her hand from the beaver' s mouth, then grabbed Maddison and gegan running toward her house, but the animal gave chase. Two friends there for the picnia quickly cornered and killed the beaver.
The beaver had severly bitten Maddison several times on her left hand and leg, and her mother rushed her to Jefferson Memorial Hospital, where her three legs wounds were treated. Doctors there referred Maddison to a specialisty at Loudon County Hospital for treatment of her hand. Hays said her daughter' s hand was so severly bitten it took 300 stiches and 3 1/2 hours of reconstructive surgery to get the tendons back together. Lisa Dunn, sanitarian supervisor with the Jefferson County Health Department says beaver attacks are extremely rare.
Dun notes she has records of only one other rabid beaver that was killed in that area years ago. She added taht while rabies is usually quickly fatal to rodents, beavers are able to survive with the virus long enough to pass it on. Dun also said that rabies is common in this part of West Virginia. The state Health Department has a prgrom in which it baits animals and vaccinates them for rabies, but the program doesnt operate in the panhandle. " Its already too far gone here." Dun said.
The animal' s brain was sent to a lab in Charleston, West Virgina, where it tested postive for the rabies virus.

That is horrible, poor little girl [:' (] hopefully she wont get sick

I hate when things like that happen, especially to children who do not deserve to go through the pain and suffering. Where are creatures like that when poachers and wrong doers are in the woods. Sometimes I just wonder why? and just what the man above has on his mind.

had one of the locals here get bit by a beaver once. the thing took a chunk of flesh out of his thigh but he was alright. learnt his lesson not to tease wild animals after he had been drinking. pretty stupid thing to do but the beaver got even.