A 67-year-old woman says she was attacked by a beaver while paddleboarding on a lake named for the rodent in North Carolina.

Betsy Bent told the Citizen-Times of Asheville that the beaver knocked her board over from underneath the water Friday at Beaver Lake, then latched on to her leg and wouldn't let go.

The 67-year-old paddleboarder says a fisherman on the lake knocked the beaver off her twice, but it attacked again before letting her go. Bent needed stitches and rabies shots.

Asheville Police say an animal control officer caught the beaver the next day, and the animal is being tested for rabies.

Bent says she thinks it was just a bizarre incident and plans to go paddleboarding again.

About the Author

Keep Reading

In 2016, Kevin Rowson left TV after 30-plus years and joined the FBI in Atlanta as a public affairs officer. (Twitter profile photo, 2016)

Credit: Rodney Ho

Featured

This image from video provided by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement via DVIDS shows manufacturing plant employees waiting to have their legs shackled at the Hyundai Motor Group’s electric vehicle plant, Thursday, Sept. 4, 2025, in Ellabell, Ga. (Corey Bullard/U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement via AP)

Credit: Corey Bullard/AP