Maryland wildlife authorities are trying to locate a beaver after a 10-year-old girl was bitten at a state park — the third reported beaver attack in the state in under three weeks.
The child was swimming and wading with an organized group at Seneca Creek State Park in Montgomery County when the animal approached and bit her at about 3:30 p.m. Thursday, the Maryland Department of Natural Resources said.
Camp counselors quickly stepped in and pulled the beaver away from the girl before it slipped back into the water and disappeared, officials said. The girl sustained three cuts to her upper leg and was taken by relatives to Suburban Hospital in Bethesda for medical care.
A beaver rests near a tree. The Maryland Department of Natural Resources says attacks involving beavers and people are uncommon. (iStock)
Officials said no one else was hurt in the incident.
The beaver attack happened along a curve of Seneca Creek near Berryville Road, not far from the Potomac River. As a precaution, DNR closed the immediate area, including about a mile of trail and nearby river access points, while wildlife crews continue searching for the animal.
The rest of Seneca Creek State Park remains accessible to visitors, including the popular Lake Area off Clopper Road in Gaithersburg.
DNR also said another group canoeing nearby reported that a beaver appeared to charge toward one of their boats, though no injuries were reported in that encounter.
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.
