My profound sympathy and hope for a full and speedy recovery go to the recent victims of rabid beaver bites in Maryland. My hope is that the rest of us do not judge all beavers by the actions of a group that was most likely infected by another animal. In a study published in the National Library of Medicine entitled “Rabies in Rodents and Lagomorphs in the USA” (lagomorphs are rabbits, hares and pikas), the authors reported only 21 rabid beavers in all the United States during the study period, 2011-2020. In contrast, there were 16,172 rabid raccoons during that period.
2nd beaver tests positive for rabies after another attack at Maryland state park
Recently, just before dusk, I quietly sat on a usually submerged rock at Loch Raven Reservoir. I tried to center myself and be still. Our recent drought is so severe — soon our drinking water may come from the Susquehanna River via a 36-mile series of tunnels and pipes — that large boulders are easily accessible. These massive chunks of Loch Raven schist are a perfect perch for wildlife observation. The access to the Susquehanna was completed in 1966, 60 years ago, after another prolonged drought. The Orioles, with Frank Robinson as MVP and unrivaled pitching by Jim Palmer, Wally Bunker and Dave McNally, won the World Series that year, 4-0 against the Dodgers. Is the current drought a harbinger of postseason success for the beleaguered Birds?
After just a few minutes, a large beaver walked down from the edge of the woods with a mouthful of twigs. She gently waddled into the water and spent the next 15 minutes chewing. Across the cove, less than a hundred yards away, another beaver swam to its lodge, also with a mouthful of sticks. The beavers were undisturbed by a half dozen osprey dive-bombing for their evening meal. The splash of the osprey, the smacking of the eating beaver and the gentle paddling of the swimming beaver beat anything on offer at the Meyerhoff.
Beavers are generally very shy and want nothing to do with humans. Perhaps the species has a core memory of how humanity almost hunted them to extinction. Rabies makes animals behave like humans on a mix of PCP and steroids — aggressively out of control with no regard for their own well-being or anything else’s. If the beavers responsible for the recent attacks had not been rabid, it would be much more worrisome. Sitting on a rock about 30 feet from what is usually the shoreline, I was cautious but not concerned. The beavers at Loch Raven are primarily bank beavers. As opposed to beavers that build dams and lodges, block streams and divert and channel water, these beavers dig underwater into the bank of the reservoir and access their burrows through underground tunnels. My fear is that due to the low water level, predators will attack the beavers and spread disease. Perhaps that is what happened in the recent attacks.
I was far more concerned about deer ticks. To get to the observation spot, I had to do a little bushwhacking through Japanese stilt grass and barberry, nonnative invasive plants that harbor the mice that transport the deer ticks. If possible, I suggest wearing permethrin-infused clothing. If that is not possible, be a nerd and tuck your long pants into your socks. Use a lint roller before you remove your clothes and shower carefully.
As darkness settled over Loch Raven, both beavers swam out of sight. Neither showed any interest in me. That is the beaver behavior Marylanders are most likely to see if lucky enough to encounter a beaver. As I carefully retraced my steps on the boulder path, it was clear that we should fear rabies but not beavers.
Carl R. Gold (cgold@carlgoldlaw.com) is a Maryland master naturalist.
