Updated
Updated · WTOP · Aug 10
Beaver Bites 10-Year-Old at Maryland Park, Closing 1 Mile of Trail
Updated
Updated · WTOP · Aug 10

Beaver Bites 10-Year-Old at Maryland Park, Closing 1 Mile of Trail

3 articles · Updated · WTOP · Aug 10

Summary

  • Three cuts to her upper leg sent a 10-year-old girl to Suburban Hospital after a beaver bit her Thursday while she was canoeing with a summer camp group at Seneca Creek State Park.
  • Around 3:30 p.m., park officials received the report and then closed Seneca Creek near Berryville Road until further notice, restricting the adjacent parking lot and a 1-mile trail.
  • Officials said no one else was injured and are still searching for the beaver involved in the attack.
  • Two earlier Maryland beaver attacks — on a 13-year-old swimmer on July 26 and a 19-year-old fisherman on Aug. 5 at Cunningham Falls State Park — involved rabid animals, but officials said the Seneca Creek case is unrelated and shows no sign of a broader outbreak.

Insights

Why are normally docile beavers suddenly launching unprovoked, aggressive attacks on Maryland water-goers?
Could an undetected rabies threat be spreading through local waterways despite official assurances to the contrary?