Beavers are not typically aggressive animals, so the three attacks within a month by beavers at two Maryland state parks has raised a host of questions, and a lot of public interest.
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Joshua Tabora, the Maryland Department of Natural Resources’ furbearer biologist, told WTOP, “This is not an animal that’s going to seek out conflict unless something is really wrong.”
Something was really wrong with the two beavers who bit people at Cunningham Falls State Park. Both tested positive for rabies. The beaver in the third attack at Seneca Creek State Park was not found, but presumed rabid.
The remains of another beaver were found in the park. However, Tabora said, they were not in a condition that would allow for rabies testing.
Rabies is not common in beavers.
“Consistently our positives are in raccoons, skunks, foxes, domestic cats, then bats, in that order,” Dr. Jen Riley, managing director at Blue Ridge Wildlife Center in Boyce, Virginia, said in an email to WTOP, and that cows and horses come up positive for rabies more often than beavers.
So how could at least three of them have contracted the virus? Tabora said testing helped answer that question.
“There are specific strains of rabies that originate in different species,” he said. Referring to the first beaver attack, he said, “In this case, that animal was positive with raccoon-type rabies.”
“We don’t have any indication — and I’ve been on record saying this a number of times — that there’s an elevated rabies prevalence rate in either Frederick or Montgomery County,” Tabora added. “We don’t think that the raccoon population is elevated from any previous year either.”
So while it might be logical to assume that there are more interactions between beavers and raccoons, it’s not clear at this point why that might be happening.
“I think it might be too early to pin it on anything in particular,” Tabora said.
Tabora, who specializes in studying and monitoring a wide group of mammals in Maryland, said he doesn’t want anyone to panic when they see a beaver in the wild. And while beavers are crepuscular, meaning they tend to be most active at night or at dawn, people should not assume they are rabid just because they see them in the middle of the day.
“There really aren’t any animals in Maryland that I would be alarmed to see at any time of day. So just because you see a raccoon for example, out and active at noon does not mean by itself that that animal is rabid,” Tabora said.
When it comes to any wildlife encounter, Tabora said keeping a 25-yard distance is advisable. Beavers can weigh anywhere from 25 to 70 pounds, with the latter being “an exceptionally large animal.”
Tabora said while their first reaction when spotting a human will be to dive deep underwater to get away, they “can be territorial, so it’s not inconceivable that a beaver could bite,” if a human gets unusually close to the beaver or its den, for example.
So while you shouldn’t assume a raccoon, fox or beaver seen during the daytime has rabies, Tabora said there are signs to look out for.
“If you see an animal that is out during the day and it’s walking in circles, or and it’s foaming at the mouth, or it’s disoriented, or it doesn’t have a fear of people,” then, Tabora said, you’ll want to contact authorities.
If a rabid animal is suspected in parks, Tabora suggested calling the DNR Wildlife Hotline at 410-260-8540. That’s the number to report sick or injured wildlife.
In cases where rabies exposure may have taken place, Maryland Department of Health officials suggest contacting the local animal control agency, the health department or police.
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