Two Rabid Beavers Attack Visitors at Cunningham Falls State Park

Cunningham Falls State Park in Frederick County, Maryland has a problem. In less than two weeks, two people have been bitten by beavers at the park — and both beavers tested positive for rabies.

The first attack happened July 26. A 13-year-old boy was swimming in the designated William Houck Area of Hunting Creek Lake when a beaver bit him on the hands and chest. He was airlifted to Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore for treatment. That beaver was caught the next day, tested, and confirmed rabid. The swimming beach closed immediately.

Then last Wednesday morning, a 19-year-old fisherman was bitten on the ankle in the South Beach Day Use area around 9:30 a.m. He drove himself to Meritus Medical Center in Hagerstown. Natural Resources Police tracked down the beaver, euthanized it, and sent it to the Frederick County Health Department for testing. That beaver also came back positive for rabies.

Wildlife officials are now investigating what they're calling a "possible rabies outbreak within the local beaver population" at the park. The Houck Day Use Area, the adjacent boat ramp, and Big Hunting Creek upstream of the lake are all closed — no swimming, fishing, boating, or water access until officials determine it's safe.

A Beaver Lodge Was Already Dismantled After the First Attack

After the 13-year-old was bitten, DNR officers didn't just close the beach and call it done. They took apart a beaver lodge and established daily surveillance at the lake looking for additional animals showing signs of illness. They found nothing — until the 19-year-old fisherman showed up at a hospital last Wednesday with a bite on his ankle.

Two different beavers. Two different areas of the same park. Both were rabid.

That pattern is what's driving the investigation into a broader outbreak rather than treating these as isolated incidents. Wildlife officials say beavers are generally non-aggressive animals that prefer to avoid people entirely. When they attack unprovoked — especially in daylight — it's a strong indicator of rabies.

Why Rabid Beavers Are Particularly Concerning

Beavers aren't the animals most people think of when they think about rabies transmission. Raccoons, bats, foxes, and skunks are the species that dominate rabies conversations. But beavers are mammals, they can absolutely carry and transmit the virus, and when they're rabid they're dangerous in ways a healthy beaver never would be.

"Beaver attacks on people are rare and are thought to primarily involve rabid animals," the Maryland DNR stated. Before this year, the last confirmed rabid beaver bites in Maryland were in 2021 and 2015 — making two in eleven days extraordinarily unusual.

Rabies is also not something to wait on. "Once an animal or person starts showing symptoms, it is almost always fatal unless treatment is given," said Barry Glotfelty, Director of Environmental Health Services for Frederick County. The treatment — a series of post-exposure shots known as PEP, or post-exposure prophylaxis — is highly effective when started promptly after a bite. It's not pleasant, but it works. The key is getting there fast.

What to Watch For in Wildlife

Signs of rabies in animals don't always look like the foaming, frenzied behavior from movies. Real symptoms are sometimes subtler — and worth knowing if you spend time outdoors near water.

Watch for animals that are normally nocturnal appearing during daylight hours. Watch for unusual friendliness or aggression from wild animals that would normally run from people. Watch for animals that appear disoriented, are stumbling or limping, or are salivating excessively. A beaver approaching a person without provocation is itself a red flag.

DNR recommends staying at least 25 yards from beavers under any circumstances. If you've been in Cunningham Falls State Park recently and had any contact with a beaver, call the Frederick County Health Department at 301-600-3342.

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