In Maryland, wildlife authorities are on the lookout for a beaver that recently bit a young girl at a state park. This incident marks the third such beaver encounter in the state within a time frame of less than three weeks.
The incident occurred at Seneca Creek State Park in Montgomery County, where the 10-year-old was enjoying a swim with a group when the beaver attacked her around 3:30 pm on Thursday, as reported by the Maryland Department of Natural Resources.
Quick-thinking camp counselors managed to detach the beaver from the girl, after which the animal retreated into the water, the DNR detailed. The girl’s injuries included three cuts on her upper leg, and she was rushed by her family to Suburban Hospital in Bethesda for medical care.
Typically, incidents involving beavers and humans are uncommon, according to the Maryland Department of Natural Resources. (iStock)
Thankfully, no further injuries have been reported.
The attack occurred at a bend in Seneca Creek near Berryville Road, close to the Potomac River. DNR closed the area, including roughly one mile of trail and river access points, until further notice while wildlife teams search for the beaver.
Other parts of Seneca Creek State Park, including the Lake Area off Clopper Road in Gaithersburg, remain open.
A separate group of people canoeing in the area also reported a beaver attempting to charge one of their boats, but no one was injured, according to DNR.
Cunningham Falls State Parks (pictured here) welcomed more than 455,000 visitors in 2025. (iStock)
The Seneca Creek attack follows two beaver attacks at Cunningham Falls State Park in Frederick County, more than 36 miles away.
A beaver attacked a 13-year-old swimmer at Cunningham Falls on July 26. Another beaver bit a 19-year-old fisherman on the ankle in the park’s South Beach Day Use area on Aug. 5.
The fisherman took himself to Meritus Medical Center in Hagerstown, where he received treatment for rabies exposure and a tetanus shot, DNR said.
Natural Resources Police caught and euthanized the beavers involved in both Cunningham Falls attacks. Both animals later tested positive for rabies.
A sign marks the entrance to Seneca Creek State Park in Maryland, where a 10-year-old girl was bitten by a beaver on Aug. 13, 2026. (Maryland Department of Natural Resources)
Following the second attack, the Maryland Park Service closed the Houck Day Use Area, the adjacent boat ramp and Big Hunting Creek above the lake while wildlife officials investigated the incidents.
DNR said the Seneca Creek attack is not considered related to the Cunningham Falls cases because of the distance between the parks and the home range and social behavior of beavers.
Health department data also show no indication of a rabies outbreak in either Frederick County or Montgomery County, according to DNR.
Beaver attacks on people are rare, the agency said, and are thought to primarily involve animals infected with rabies. Before this year’s incidents, the last recorded beaver bites in Maryland confirmed to involve rabid animals occurred in 2021 and 2015.
Beavers typically avoid conflict with people, according to DNR. The agency recommends maintaining a minimum distance of 25 yards from the animals in the wild.