Seneca Creek State Park Closes 1 Mile After Beaver Bites 10-Year-Old Girl

Q: With three beaver attacks in Maryland this summer, what is driving these typically docile creatures to aggressively target humans?

The most likely driver is rabies, not a broad shift in normal beaver behavior. Beavers are typically shy, nocturnal animals that avoid people. Maryland officials say the two earlier attack beavers at Cunningham Falls both tested positive for rabies, and wildlife experts say aggression in beavers is rare and is most often tied to rabid animals. That said, the Seneca Creek case is still unconfirmed because the beaver has not been captured. Officials have said it does not appear connected to the Cunningham Falls incidents and that there is no evidence of a wider rabies outbreak in Frederick or Montgomery counties. Experts note beavers are usually “dead-end hosts,” meaning they can catch rabies from other wildlife such as raccoons, skunks, foxes or bats, but do not typically sustain a beaver-to-beaver rabies cycle. There is another possible explanation in isolated cases: defensive behavior. Even healthy beavers can become aggressive if a person gets too close to a lodge, kits, or territory, especially in the water where the animal feels less vulnerable. Summer also brings more swimmers, boaters and campers into beaver habitat, increasing the chance of encounters. So the pattern this summer appears to be driven mainly by rare rabies-related incidents, combined with heavier human recreation in waterways where beavers live. Until the Seneca Creek beaver is tested, officials cannot say with certainty what caused that specific attack.

3 articles · Updated · The MoCoShow · Aug 14

A 10-year-old girl suffered three lacerations to her upper leg after a beaver attacked her Thursday afternoon while she was canoeing with a summer camp group near Berryville Road.
Camp counselors pulled the beaver off the child before it escaped into the water, and family members took her to Suburban Hospital in Bethesda; no other injuries were reported.
Maryland DNR closed the attack area and about 1 mile of trail, while park staff, wildlife officials and Natural Resources Police search for the animal.
The incident follows two beaver attacks at Cunningham Falls State Park on July 26 and Aug. 5, where captured beavers later tested positive for rabies.
DNR said the Seneca Creek attack is not believed linked to those cases because the parks are more than 36 miles apart, and officials see no sign of a rabies outbreak in either county.