Maryland Officials Search for Beaver After Attacks

Maryland wildlife officials are actively searching for a beaver that recently attacked a 10-year-old girl at Seneca Creek State Park. This incident marks the third reported beaver attack in the state within three weeks.

According to the Maryland Department of Natural Resources (DNR), the girl was swimming with a group when the beaver attacked at around 3:30 p.m. on Thursday. Camp counselors quickly intervened, removing the beaver, allowing it to escape into the water. The girl sustained three lacerations to her upper leg and was taken to Suburban Hospital in Bethesda for treatment by her family.

Beaver attacks on humans are rare, DNR noted. Typically, such incidents involve rabid animals.

No other injuries were reported from the attack, which occurred near a bend in Seneca Creek close to the Potomac River and Berryville Road. In response, the DNR closed the area, including a mile of trail and river access, as wildlife teams search for the beaver. Other park sections, such as the Lake Area off Clopper Road, remain accessible.

Additionally, another group canoeing in the area reported a beaver attempting to charge at one of their boats, although no injuries occurred, as per DNR.

This attack follows two previous beaver incidents at Cunningham Falls State Park in Frederick County, around 36 miles from Seneca Creek. A 13-year-old swimmer was attacked there on July 26, followed by a 19-year-old fisherman bitten on August 5. The fisherman sought treatment for rabies exposure and a tetanus shot at Meritus Medical Center in Hagerstown. In both cases, the involved beavers were caught, euthanized, and tested positive for rabies.

DNR clarified that the recent attack at Seneca Creek is unrelated to those at Cunningham Falls, citing the geographical distance between the parks and beavers’ social behavior. Health department data show no rabies outbreak signs in either Frederick or Montgomery County.

Before this year’s incidents, the last confirmed rabid beaver bites in Maryland were in 2021 and 2015. Typically, beavers avoid human interaction. The DNR advises maintaining at least a 25-yard distance from these animals in the wild.