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