A kayaker is recovering in hospital after suffering a brutal attack at the jaws of a particularly angry beaver.
Michael Cavanaugh was paddling in Irondequoit Creek, New York, when the animal knocked him into the water and started savaging him, 13 Wham reports.
BayCreek Paddling Centre trainer Nate Reynolds witnessed part of the attack.
The beaver succeeded in flipping Michael Cavanaugh out of his kayak and sustained the attack until it was fought off with a paddle
He said: “I heard my name called out from the shop and I ran out the door to see a guy getting pulled into the water.
“It was like watching a horror film.”
The beaver stayed attached to Cavanaugh even after it had knocked him out the kayak, prompting Reynolds to bash it with a paddle.
The beaver’s hold on Cavanaugh was so fierce Reynolds broke his paddle, but eventually succeeded in getting the beast to release its grip and swim away.
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BayCreek Paddling owner Ken Altfather told the channel: “I think the rarity of it is the main thing.
“This beaver was apparently upset for some reason that we don’t know.”
Cavanaugh, who suffered deep lacerations to his arms and back and is being treated for rabies as a precaution, was lucky to escape with his life.
The animal is believed to have severed a main artery, causing him to bleed to death.