Beaver kills fisherman in Belarus trying to pose for photo

A relative of Canada's buck-toothed national symbol is earning a violent reputation abroad after a series of beaver attacks on humans in Belarus, according to the Associated Press.

A fisherman died recently while trying to photograph a beaver at Lake Shestakovskoye because the rodent bit him in the leg and severed an artery, according to Sky News. The 60-year-old man's friends weren't able to stop the bleeding, and the man died.

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A doctor called the wound "shocking."

The attack seemed bizarre and isolated, but this week, the Associated Press reported that beavers are getting braver and more aggressive in Belarus. They've turned up in towns and near homes, sometimes picking fights with the humans who cross their paths.

Eurasian beavers were once nearly extinct because of hunting, according to the International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources. But in recent years, the population has recovered and it's growing rapidly, meaning more beavers spreading to more populated areas.

Authorities in Belarus told the news wire they had received a spate of calls about angry beavers this year. They have scared the rodents away by spraying them with fire hoses, according to the story.

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Bucky Beaver's friendly cartoon smile, and those clean, toothpaste-commercial teeth, are starting to seem less adorable.