13-Year-Old Recovering After Three Surgeries Following Rabid Beaver Attack at Cunningham Falls
The teenager was attacked while swimming at Cunningham Falls State Park in Frederick County, an incident later followed by a second confirmed rabid beaver attack.
HERE'S WHAT WE KNOW
A 13-year-old boy was attacked by a beaver while swimming at Cunningham Falls State Park on July 26. The teenager suffered injuries to his hands and chest and was airlifted to Johns Hopkins Hospital. WLTX reports the boy has undergone three surgeries and is recovering. The beaver involved in the attack tested positive for rabies. A second beaver attacked a 19-year-old fisherman at Hunting Creek Lake on Aug. 5 and also tested positive for rabies. Maryland officials temporarily closed water-access areas while conducting an extensive wildlife investigation. Hunting Creek Lake and the affected areas reopened Aug. 24 after monitoring found no evidence of additional rabid beavers.
A 13-year-old boy is continuing his recovery after undergoing three surgeries following a frightening encounter with a rabid beaver at Cunningham Falls State Park in Frederick County.
The teenager was attacked July 26 while swimming in the William Houck Area of Hunting Creek Lake near Thurmont. The incident happened shortly after 9 a.m. near the lake's North Beach swimming area.
The boy suffered injuries to his hands and chest and was airlifted to Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore for treatment. According to a recent report from WLTX, the teenager has since undergone three surgeries and is recovering from his injuries.
The beaver involved in the attack was captured and euthanized. Testing by the Maryland Department of Health confirmed July 27 that the animal was infected with rabies.
The unusual incident quickly became more than an isolated wildlife encounter.
Less than two weeks later, on Aug. 5, a 19-year-old fisherman reported being bitten on the ankle by another beaver in the South Beach Day Use Area at Hunting Creek Lake. The fisherman drove himself to Meritus Medical Center in Hagerstown, where he received treatment for rabies exposure and a tetanus shot.
Natural Resources Police captured and euthanized that beaver as well. It also tested positive for rabies.
Following the second attack, the Maryland Department of Natural Resources expanded closures around Hunting Creek Lake while wildlife officials investigated what the agency described as a possible rabies outbreak among the local beaver population.
The Houck Day Use Area, adjacent boat ramp and Big Hunting Creek above the lake were among the areas closed, with swimming, fishing, boating and other water access temporarily prohibited.
Wildlife officials increased surveillance around the lake, including daytime and nighttime monitoring. A nearby beaver lodge was dismantled as investigators searched for evidence of additional animals.
The two incidents were highly unusual. Maryland DNR says beavers generally avoid people and attacks on humans are rare. Before 2026, the most recent Maryland cases involving bites from confirmed rabid beavers occurred in 2021 and 2015.
After weeks of monitoring, Maryland officials announced Aug. 24 that Hunting Creek Lake and the affected portions of Cunningham Falls State Park could reopen. DNR said extensive surveillance had found no evidence of additional rabid beavers in the area.
The agency's investigation included thermal surveys after sunset, trail cameras, trapping and searches for other signs of beaver activity.
Rabies is a viral disease that can spread to people through the bite or scratch of an infected mammal. Once symptoms develop, the disease is almost always fatal, making prompt medical treatment after a potential exposure critical.
Frederick County health officials have advised anyone who may have been bitten, scratched or otherwise exposed to a beaver at Cunningham Falls State Park to contact a health care provider or the Frederick County Health Department.
For the 13-year-old injured in the first attack, the focus now is recovery following an encounter that led to serious injuries, hospitalization and three surgeries.
WHAT IT MEANS
The teenager's recovery puts a human face on an unusual series of wildlife incidents that temporarily shut down one of Frederick County's most popular outdoor recreation areas.
Although beaver attacks are rare, both animals involved in the Cunningham Falls incidents tested positive for rabies. The cases prompted weeks of surveillance by Maryland wildlife officials before Hunting Creek Lake was cleared to reopen.
For residents and visitors, the incidents are also a reminder to avoid approaching wildlife behaving unusually and to seek medical attention immediately after a bite or scratch from a wild mammal.
Original reporting referenced by Everything Frederick:
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