19-year-old fisherman attacked by beaver in Maryland state park: official

Christopher Scarglato, Baltimore Sun on Aug 5, 2026

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A 19-year-old fisherman was bitten on the leg by a beaver in Cunningham Falls State Park in Frederick County on Wednesday morning, a Maryland Department of Natural Resources spokesperson said.

This is the second beaver attack at Cunningham Falls in the past two weeks. The incident occurred in the South Beach Day Use area of the park at about 9:30 a.m. The victim sustained a bite to the ankle and transported himself to a nearby medical center for treatment.

Following the attack, Natural Resources Police caught and euthanized the beaver, the DNR spokesperson said.

The mammal is being delivered to the Frederick County Health Department, where the Maryland Department of Health’s laboratory will conduct rabies testing, the spokesperson added.

Previously, on July 26, a 13-year-old swimmer needed to be airlifted following an attack by a rabid beaver. Actions after the incident included officials taking down a nearby beaver lodge.

In response to the second incident, the Maryland Park Service closed the Houck Day Use Area, the adjacent boat ramp and Big Hunting Creek above the lake.

DNR Wildlife and Heritage Service will also institute nighttime monitoring, along with daytime surveillance to find and remove additional beavers, if there are any present.

The mammal is typically non-aggressive, rarely attacking people. The last recorded instances of beaver bites in Maryland occurred in 2021 and 2015, the spokesperson said.

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