Beavers in Belarus -- rabies is very alive

I have to interrupt the sequence of this blog to rail against additional victims of the rabies virus.  I’d like to think the report, with video, of a beaver attacking and killing a man is a hoax.  It is a sad and a horrific occurrence.  What it brings to the fore is that wild animals normally avoid open places during daylight – an unsheltered trail/road especially.  When one encounters an untamed animal out in the open, seemingly unaware or undisturbed by the presence of human beings, it’s a very good sign to avoid that animal.  It may appear cute or just interesting, but it almost certainly has rabies, and given the opportunity will attempt to pass the virus on.  Rabies may not create large epidemics, but it effectively manages to get passed on from one victim to another; this attack clearly shows how.

This latest incident is particularly sad because although the victim would likely have been exposed to rabies, we know that the rabies vaccine is very effective at capturing and ridding the body of the viral particles before they find the doorway into the central nervous system.  But, beavers have large, strong teeth and powerful jaw muscles that can rend trees to pieces.  They can easily rend human flesh.  In this case those teeth did the virus’s bidding too well, killing the victim before it could try to pass the virus on.

Sad also is the death of a soldier bitten while breaking up a fight between a dog, kept as a pet on his base, and another, feral, dog.  Eight months later he is dead. Why wasn't he immediately given the rabies vaccine!  Probably he was a bit embarrassed about allowing himself to be bitten, about breaking regulations and allowing a pet on base, about drawing attention to a dumb, little wound.  None of that matters; the virus doesn't give second chances.  He should have sought out and been given the rabies vaccine immediately and without any question!

Normally wild animals move away from humans.  When they don’t, the humans should move away!  People learn to avoid humans who exhibit the kind of explosive behavior the beaver displayed as well.  Unfortunately, these individuals don’t advertise their hair trigger volatility as clearly as a wild animal found rambling about in the open.  Or, we think we can change them with love and understanding, not realizing that these emotional time-bombs have little, if any, voluntary, conscious control over their behavior.  If only we could really help these people to reduce their volatility; allow them the time to be aware of their traits and to try to control themselves before they explode.  

Well, that’s the point of this blog, to say we can!  But, to do that, we must discover the root of how rabies manipulates our nervous system, how it turns us into human vampires and werewolves.  Then we will be able to treat the rampages.  We have the tools and the knowledge, we just need the will.