Maryland officials say lake safety after rabid beaver incidents remains under review
State biologists are evaluating the risk of rabies at Hunting Creek Lake after two beaver attacks, but have not set a date for reopening the swimming area.
Maryland Department of Natural Resources biologists are assessing whether the waters of Hunting Creek Lake in Cunningham Falls State Park are safe for public use after two separate beaver attacks, one of which involved an animal later confirmed to have rabies. The lake was closed to swimming following the incidents while officials gather data.
"We feel reasonably confident that the lake is safe. However, I think in this instance we need to corroborate that," said Joshua Tabora, a furbearer biologist with the department.
Tabora said the agency is in a "fact-finding phase" and has not yet identified all the information needed to guarantee no public-health risk. He noted that beavers are rarely rabies vectors, and the likely transmission occurred when an infected beaver came into contact with a typical carrier such as a raccoon, then passed the virus to another beaver through saliva during grooming.
The biologist added that the isolated nature of the creek and lake, combined with beaver habits, suggests only the two animals involved may be infected. Ongoing surveys and field work aim to confirm this and establish benchmarks for a safe reopening, though no specific date has been set.