For the third time in less than three weeks, a beaver attacked someone at a Maryland state park, this time biting a 10-year-old girl who was canoeing at summer camp on Thursday, Aug. 13, according to the Department of Natural Resources.
The latest attack was reported at about 3:30 p.m. at Seneca Creek State Park in Montgomery County, near a bend in Seneca Creek by Berryville Road and the Potomac River.
The girl was canoeing with an organized group when the beaver attacked and bit her, officials said.
Then the counselors jumped in.
Camp counselors intervened and removed the beaver from the girl before the animal escaped back into the water, according to DNR.
The girl suffered three lacerations to her upper leg and was taken by family members to Suburban Hospital in Bethesda for treatment.
No other injuries were reported. The beaver got away.
DNR Wildlife and Heritage Service staff and Seneca Creek State Park staff were searching for the animal on Friday, Aug. 14.
Natural Resources Police and local wildlife authorities were also contacted for additional support, and Montgomery County Animal Services was notified.
The area where the attack happened, including about a mile of trail, has been closed until further notice. The nearby parking lot has also been blocked with fluorescent orange cones, with signs posted warning visitors about the incident.
Other portions of Seneca Creek State Park, including the main area off Clopper Road in Gaithersburg, remain open.
If this is starting to sound familiar, it should.
The attack came just eight days after a 19-year-old fisherman was bitten on the ankle by a beaver at Cunningham Falls State Park on Wednesday, Aug. 5.
That beaver was caught and euthanized. It later tested positive for rabies.
And that was already the second attack at Cunningham Falls in less than two weeks.
On Sunday, July 26, a 13-year-old swimmer was attacked by a beaver at the park. That animal was also caught, euthanized, and tested positive for rabies the following day.
Now comes a third attack, though state officials say the Seneca Creek incident is not believed to be connected to what happened at Cunningham Falls.
The two parks are more than 36 miles apart, and DNR cited that distance, along with the home range and social behavior of beavers, in saying the incidents are not considered related.
There is also no indication of a rabies outbreak in either Frederick County, where Cunningham Falls is located, or Montgomery County, according to data from the respective health departments.
For now, the beaver involved in Thursday's attack remains at large.
Check back for updates.
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