A BOY has been left with horrific injuries after he was savagely mauled by a rabid beaver which he desperately tried to fight off.

Dominick Cebula, 14, was swimming at Cunningham Falls State Park in Maryland when he was viciously attacked on July 26.

Dominick Cebula, 14, sustained horrific injuries after he was attacked by a beaver

The boy was swimming underwater when he was savagely mauled by the animal

His mum yelled out to him after spotting the beaver approaching, but he failed to hear her since he was underwater looking at fish.

Dominick managed to wrench the beaver off and toss it away from him, but it quickly returned, biting both hands as he attempted to protect himself.

“He grabbed the beaver’s head and a leg, and he tried to get if off him,” said Dominick’s dad, Jeff Cebula.

“At that point, he felt that it was locked onto him. And then it started shaking its head, kind of like a dog would do.”

He underwent three surgeries to repair nerves and treatment for rabies

Dominick celebrated his 14th birthday not long after the attack

The rabid beave latched onto the boy while he was swimming

He had been swimming at a lake in Frederick County, Maryland

He feared Dominick would need to have his finger amputated, given the beaver’s bite had exposed the bone.

The beaver was eventually caught and euthanised by Frederick County Animal Contol – with the test for rabies coming back positive.

Dominick was airlifted to Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore where he received treatment for his injuries and rabies exposure.

He underwent three separate surgeries and will need another to re-attach a severed nerve in his right hand.

“Not to get too graphic, but there was a lot that was missing,” said Dominick’s dad, referring to the gruesome chest wounds.

The boy has since been discharged from hospital with his arms bandaged from his hands to his elbows.

Parts of his hands are completely numb as well as a small part of his chest.

“It’s been an unnoticeable, slow recovery,” he told FNP.

But despite the ordeal, Dominick remains in good spirits.

He celebrated his 14th birthday, visited Ocean City just a few days after the attack and started high school with a story unlikely to be matched.

“He was pretty popular the first day of school,” said his dad.

He added that he hopes his son will heal in time for wrestling season in October at Walkersville High School.

His aunt Leigh Cebula launched a GoFundMe to cover Domnick’s medical costs.

“He did not provoke it, poke it, or mess with it in any way,” she said. “This was completely unprovoked”.

She added that it was probably his wrestling training which gave him the upper hand over the beaver.

Domnick’s was the first in a string of beaver attacks in the state.

A 19-year-old fisherman was bitten by a rabid beaver on August 5 and received treatment for the disease.

Hunting Creek Lake was temporarily closed and the animal euthanised by authorities.

Separately, a 10-year-old was mauled while swimming at a stream in Seneca Creek Lake while at a summer camp.

She sustained three injuries to her upper leg and was taken to hospital in Bethesda.

The Department of Natural Resources said in a statement: “Beavers are typically non-aggressive and avoid conflict with humans, but people should still maintain a safe minimum viewing distance of 25 yards for all medium-sized wild animals.”

The agency added: “Anyone bitten or scratched by any wild animal should immediately seek medical attention.”

Source: https://www.the-sun.com/news/17011281/boy-mauled-rabid-beaver-left-horror-injuries/