A teenage boy was flown to Baltimore after being bitten by a beaver Sunday at Cunningham Falls State Park, prompting the temporary closure of the park’s popular swimming beach while wildlife and public-health officials investigate.
What changed for visitors
The Maryland Department of Natural Resources closed the swimming area at the William Houck Area, near the lake’s North Beach, while staff and Maryland Natural Resources Police searched for the animal involved. Park officials said all other park areas remained open.
MRI personnel reported the boy suffered wounds to his hands and chest and was flown to Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore for treatment. State and county agencies are coordinating testing of the captured animal to determine whether it carried rabies.
Actions by authorities
Park staff, Natural Resources Police and Maryland Department of Natural Resources (DNR) personnel conducted a focused search of the area. Officials located one beaver and euthanized it to allow for laboratory testing, with rabies testing to be coordinated through the Frederick County Health Department.
| Status | Details |
|---|---|
| Victim | Teenager; injuries to hands and chest; flown to Johns Hopkins |
| Beach | Swimming area at William Houck Area closed |
| Animal | One beaver located and euthanized for testing |
| Testing | Rabies testing coordinated with Frederick County Health Department |
| Park access | Other areas of Cunningham Falls remain open |
What visitors should know
- Avoid contact with wildlife. Do not approach or attempt to handle beavers or other wild animals.
- Follow closures and signage at the park; the swimming beach remains closed until officials clear it.
- If you or someone else is bitten or scratched by wildlife, seek medical attention promptly and report the incident to local health authorities.
DNR and park officials are working with the U.S. park service and Maryland Natural Resources Police to establish when the swimming area can safely reopen. They continued searching local waters after the captured animal to confirm whether additional beavers are in the immediate area and to ensure the one taken into custody was the animal involved in the bite incident.
Park visitors with concerns or who observed the incident are asked to contact Maryland Natural Resources Police or the Frederick County Health Department for guidance.
This article will be updated as health officials release the results of the animal testing and as the park makes a decision about reopening the beach.
— Darius Holloway, Maryland Correspondent, News Block
