Parts of Cunningham Falls State Park closed after rabid beaver attacks
by Brad Matthews · The Washington TimesMaryland officials are waiting to be certain that the threat of rabid beaver attacks has passed before opening closed parts of Cunningham Falls State Park.
There have been two attacks in recent weeks, one on July 26 and the other last Wednesday.
Both beavers were captured and euthanized after the incidents, and both tested positive for rabies, the Maryland Department of Natural Resources said in a release.
Hence, officials have closed off Hunting Creek Lake, the areas of Big Hunting Creek that are above the lake, the Houck Day Use Area and a nearby boat ramp.
All water access and water activities are forbidden in the closed-off areas until officials can be sure there is no further threat of attacks by rabid beavers.
“We feel reasonably confident that the lake is safe. However, I think in this instance we need to corroborate that. We don’t have a prospective date for reopening,” Maryland Department of Natural Resources biologist Joshua Tabora said Monday on Washington’s WTOP-FM.
Beavers are not one of the species typically involved in rabies incidents.
Mr. Tabora told the radio station that “presumably, how this spillover case happened is that … one of these infected beavers previously would have had an encounter with one of those primary vector species, like perhaps a raccoon because they share similar habitats.”
Advertisement Advertisement
The first victim was a 13-year-old boy who was swimming at the park when the beaver attacked him. He was taken to Johns Hopkins Hospital with injuries to his hands and chest.
The second victim was a 19-year-old man who was fishing when a beaver bit him on his ankle. He transported himself for medical treatment and received rabies and tetanus shots, state parks and wildlife officials said.
Contact the author
Brad Matthews
Follow author updates Follow Click to follow. Manage followed authors