Maryland officials have restored water access at Hunting Creek Lake and nearby portions of Cunningham Falls State Park in Thurmont after finding no evidence of continued beaver activity, the Department of Natural Resources said Monday. The areas in Frederick County had been closed after two teenagers were attacked by rabid beavers on July 26 and Aug. 5. Both animals were euthanized and tested positive for rabies.
Since the attacks, Department of Natural Resources employees and police worked with Maryland Park Service staff to determine whether the area was safe to reopen. The state said it used trail cameras, trapping and thermal surveys conducted by biologists to monitor for beaver activity. Staff did not observe any beaver activity near Hunting Creek Lake during that time, the department said.
The reopening comes after a separate beaver attack Aug. 13 near Darnestown in Montgomery County, about 35 miles away. A 10-year-old girl was attacked while her summer camp was visiting the area, according to the state. A beaver later found dead nearby tested positive for rabies, but officials said it was unclear whether it was the same animal that attacked the girl. That incident remains under investigation, and the area near the attack, including a parking lot and nearby river access point, remains closed.
State officials said beavers generally are not aggressive and tend to avoid human contact. Attacks linked to rabies infections are rare, according to the state. The last similar attacks recorded in Maryland were in 2021 and 2015.
I wonder how the beavers contracted rabies. In this part of the world, rabies is endemic in the racoons, foxes and skunks. Adult beavers are pretty big, and I have trouble imagining any of these animals attempting to take one on, except, I guess, if they were rabid. Maybe a coyote?
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