Three people have been the victims of recent beaver attacks in Maryland, and one of those individuals was a little girl.
The first incident happened on July 26 at Cunningham Falls State Park where a 13-year-old boy was swimming when he was attacked, Fox News reported Monday.
He suffered injuries on his hands and chest and was airlifted to Johns Hopkins Hospital for treatment. Authorities later found the beaver, euthanized it, and a test determined it did have rabies.
Another incident happened on August 5 when a 19-year-old was fishing. A beaver bit the young man’s ankle and he was able to make it to a local hospital where he received treatment. The beaver in that case was also euthanized and tested positive for rabies.
Authorities closed relevant areas of the park to assess the situation and determine when it was safe to reopen them to the public, the Fox article stated.
“It seems as though park rangers are handling it and everybody is okay. They’ve closed down the lakes, and we’ve been camping so we had to go to a different lake. It’s a little worrying but I think they’ve got it under control,” a camper told DC News Now:
A third incident happened Thursday when a 10-year-old girl was attacked by a beaver while canoeing at Seneca Creek State Park, WUSA reported Saturday, noting she suffered wounds to her leg.
“According to the Maryland Department of Natural Resources, the attack happened around 3:30 p.m. while the girl was participating in a summer camp canoeing trip on a creek. Camp counselors were able to get the beaver off the girl before it escaped into the water,” the outlet said, adding, “Park officials have temporarily closed part of Seneca Creek State Park while they search for the beaver involved in the attack.”
The Maryland Department of Natural Resources website said beavers are the largest rodents in North America and adults can weigh between 30 to 60 pounds.
“Their body is covered with thick, reddish-brown fur. Beavers have hairless, paddle-shaped tails that are used for steering when swimming. Beavers also store fat in their tails for the winter and slap their tails against the water to warn other beavers of potential predators,” the site read.
The animals were hunted nearly to extinction in the mid-1800s but have since become common across the United States.
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