In the span of three weeks, Maryland has witnessed three beaver attacks across two state parks — a pattern rare enough to unsettle wildlife officials and remind communities that the boundary between wild nature and human recreation is never fully settled. Two of the animals, both from Cunningham Falls State Park, tested positive for rabies, confirming what wildlife science has long observed: beavers, by nature reclusive, become dangerous almost exclusively when disease has overtaken their instincts. A ten-year-old girl swimming at Seneca Creek State Park became the third victim, her afternoon
Maryland's third beaver attack in weeks raises rabies concerns
A 10-year-old girl suffered three lacerations to her upper leg from a beaver bite; a 19-year-old fisherman was bitten on the ankle and received rabies exposure treatment.
Beaver attacks are rare, but when they happen, rabies is almost always involved.
Mark
Three beaver attacks in three weeks—is that actually unusual, or does it just feel that way because they happened close together?
Mimi
Beaver attacks are genuinely rare. Before this summer, Maryland had only two confirmed cases of rabid beavers biting people in the last decade. So three in three weeks is striking enough that it caught everyone's attention.
Mark
But the officials say the Seneca Creek attack isn't related to the Cunningham Falls ones. How confident should we be in that?
Mimi
The distance helps—36 miles is well beyond a beaver's typical home range. And beavers are territorial, so you wouldn't expect the same animal or even the same family group to be responsible. That said, the fact that two of the three tested positive for rabies suggests something is circulating in the region, even if these aren't the same incidents.
Mark
What does it mean that both euthanized beavers had rabies? Does that change how people should think about being near water?
Mimi
It reinforces what wildlife officials already knew: when beavers attack people, rabies is almost always the reason. A healthy beaver wants nothing to do with you. So the real question isn't whether beavers are becoming aggressive—it's whether rabies is more prevalent in the beaver population right now.
Mark
And they're saying there's no outbreak. Can they actually know that?
Mimi
They're looking at health department data from both counties. No outbreak doesn't mean zero cases—it means the disease isn't spreading in an unusual pattern. But you're right to be skeptical. They're monitoring, not predicting.
Mark
What happens to the beaver they're still looking for at Seneca Creek?
Mimi
That's unclear. They're searching for it, but they haven't said whether they plan to capture it, test it, or what. The park closure suggests they're taking it seriously, but the fact that they haven't found it yet means the situation is still open.
Le Pouls
- Three beaver attacks in under three weeks have put Maryland wildlife officials on alert, a frequency that has no modern precedent in the state's recorded history.
- A 10-year-old girl suffered three lacerations to her upper leg while wading with a camp group, and a 19-year-old fisherman was bitten on the ankle — two victims now navigating rabies exposure treatment protocols.
- Both beavers from Cunningham Falls were euthanized and confirmed rabid by lab tests, while the beaver responsible for the Seneca Creek attack remains at large despite active wildlife searches.
- Park closures have been enacted at both locations — a boat ramp, a day-use area, and stretches of river access — as officials attempt to contain risk without shutting down entire parks.
- Authorities insist the three incidents are unrelated given the 36-mile distance between parks and beavers' territorial behavior, but the absence of a declared outbreak has done little to quiet public unease.
In the span of three weeks, Maryland has witnessed three beaver attacks across two state parks — a pattern rare enough to unsettle wildlife officials and remind communities that the boundary between wild nature and human recreation is never fully settled. Two of the animals, both from Cunningham Falls State Park, tested positive for rabies, confirming what wildlife science has long observed: beavers, by nature reclusive, become dangerous almost exclusively when disease has overtaken their instincts. A ten-year-old girl swimming at Seneca Creek State Park became the third victim, her afternoon in the water interrupted by an encounter that sent her to a hospital and closed a mile of trails. Authorities are careful to treat each incident as its own story, even as the public wonders what the cluster means.
On a Thursday afternoon in mid-August, a beaver bit a 10-year-old girl three times on her upper leg as she waded in the shallow water of Seneca Creek State Park in Montgomery County. Camp counselors pulled the animal away, and the girl was transported to Suburban Hospital in Bethesda. It was Maryland's third beaver attack in less than three weeks — a cluster unusual enough to prompt trail closures, wildlife searches, and a wave of public concern.
The two earlier attacks had occurred at Cunningham Falls State Park in Frederick County, more than 36 miles away. A 13-year-old swimmer was bitten on July 26, and ten days later a 19-year-old fisherman was attacked on the ankle at the park's South Beach Day Use Area. He drove himself to a hospital in Hagerstown, where he received rabies exposure treatment and a tetanus shot. Both beavers from those incidents were caught, euthanized, and later confirmed by lab tests to carry rabies.
The Maryland Department of Natural Resources was deliberate in its messaging: the Seneca Creek attack should not be read as connected to the Cunningham Falls cases. The geographic distance, combined with beavers' deeply territorial nature, makes a link unlikely. Health data from both counties showed no signs of a broader rabies outbreak. Officials also noted that a separate group of canoeists near Seneca Creek reported a beaver charging their boat, though no one was hurt.
Beaver attacks on humans are rare, and when they do happen, rabies is almost always the cause. Before this summer, Maryland had recorded only two confirmed rabid beaver bites in the past decade. The animals are naturally avoidant of people, and aggression is widely understood as a symptom of disease rather than instinct. Wildlife managers recommend keeping at least 25 yards of distance from any beaver encountered in the wild, as searches for the Seneca Creek animal continue with no confirmed outcome yet announced.
A beaver attacked a 10-year-old girl swimming in the shallow water at Seneca Creek State Park on a Thursday afternoon in mid-August, biting her upper leg three times before camp counselors pulled the animal away. The girl was part of an organized group wading near Berryville Road in Montgomery County when the encounter happened around 3:30 p.m. She was taken to Suburban Hospital in Bethesda for treatment of the lacerations. It was Maryland's third beaver attack in less than three weeks, a cluster that has alarmed state wildlife officials and prompted them to search for the animal and close roughly a mile of trail and river access.
The two previous attacks occurred at Cunningham Falls State Park in Frederick County, more than 36 miles away. On July 26, a beaver bit a 13-year-old swimmer. Ten days later, on August 5, another beaver attacked a 19-year-old fisherman on the ankle at the park's South Beach Day Use Area. That fisherman drove himself to Meritus Medical Center in Hagerstown, where he was treated for rabies exposure and given a tetanus shot. Both beavers from the Cunningham Falls incidents were caught and euthanized by Natural Resources Police. Lab tests later confirmed that both animals carried rabies.
The Maryland Department of Natural Resources stressed that the Seneca Creek attack should not be considered connected to the Cunningham Falls cases. The distance between the parks—more than 36 miles—and the territorial nature of beavers make it unlikely they are related incidents. Health department data from both Frederick and Montgomery counties show no signs of a rabies outbreak in either location. The agency also noted that a separate group of canoeists in the Seneca Creek area reported a beaver attempting to charge one of their boats, though no one was injured in that encounter.
Beaver attacks on humans are uncommon, and when they do occur, they are almost always linked to rabies infection. Before this year's three incidents, Maryland had recorded only two confirmed cases of rabid beaver bites—one in 2021 and another in 2015. The animals are naturally inclined to avoid people and typically only become aggressive when disease is present. The Maryland Department of Natural Resources recommends staying at least 25 yards away from any beaver in the wild.
Following the second attack at Cunningham Falls, the Maryland Park Service closed the Houck Day Use Area, the adjacent boat ramp, and Big Hunting Creek above the lake while officials investigated. At Seneca Creek, the closure is more limited: the area around the attack site remains off-limits, but other sections of the park, including the Lake Area off Clopper Road in Gaithersburg, remain open to the public. Wildlife teams continue to search for the beaver involved in the Seneca Creek attack, though officials have not indicated whether they expect to find it or what they will do if they do.
Citations marquantes
Beaver attacks on people are rare and are thought to primarily involve animals infected with rabies.— Maryland Department of Natural Resources
The agency recommends maintaining a minimum distance of 25 yards from beavers in the wild.— Maryland Department of Natural Resources
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