KOTA KINABALU, SEPT 12 – Mariasella Harun struggled when she was attacked by a beaver while jogging at Taman Perdana in Tanjung Aru yesterday morning.
“I saw something coming out of the gutter and thought it was a cat. But it jumped out and bit me. Suddenly, I realized there were many coming to attack. I couldn’t stand when it happened,” said the 40-year-old housewife.
He fought off a group of beavers in agony for five minutes until some park visitors jogging by came to his aid. Unfortunately, they were also attacked by the animal.
Mariasella, who suffered injuries to her arms, legs and head, was then rushed to the Queen Elizabeth Hospital for treatment, where she was given antibacterial drugs and a rabies vaccine.
“The doctor told me that I need to be hospitalized for observation, (but I’m) not sure for how long. They also mentioned that my wound could not be stitched immediately because of possible complications from the bite,” he said when contacted.
Still exhausted and traumatized by the incident, Mariasella said that she jogs in the park every day and saw the beaver in the area just last week.
“When I saw some otters last week, I took a video but did not approach them. As usual I reached the park at 6.10 am to jog. After warming up, I started running and finished only 2km when the attack happened,” he said.
Mariasella added, she did not know why she was attacked because she did not approach or provoke the beaver.
A viral video shows a group of otters running along a drain towards Mariasella before attacking her.
His case is the first case of a beaver attack and according to Sabah Wildlife Department director Roland Niun, it is unusual for these generally harmless animals to be so aggressive.
“The animal is sometimes overprotective of its young, and due to its nature to guard its territory, the animal attacks humans with its sharp canine teeth,” he said.
According to Niun, the beaver was able to access the park through a damaged fence that has now been repaired.
“As a precaution, we advise the public not to approach beavers, even though they do not normally attack humans. Please do not feed or provoke in any way,” he stressed.
Beavers are protected animals under Schedule 2 of the Wildlife Conservation Enactment 1997, and are usually found in river or lake areas.
Otter populations are unknown in Sabah but their presence is an important indicator of healthy river habitat. – ANN/The Star
