A 13-year-old Maryland boy is reported to be recovering from multiple surgeries and nerve damage after being attacked by a rabid beaver. The teen, Dominick Cebula, was swimming at a popular spot in Cunningham Falls state park in Thurmont, Maryland, on 26 July when a beaver attacked his chest underwater, a relatively rare kind of encounter that more recently has been recurring, according to reporting from local news outlets. Speaking to the news outlet WUSA, Dominick’s father, Jeff Cebula, said: “He grabbed its head and a leg and he tried to get it off of him … At that point, he kind of felt that it was locked onto him.
And then it started shaking its head, kind of like a dog would do.” Jeff Cebula said his son pulled the beaver off his chest but as he backed away, the animal attacked again, biting him on the right hand, WUSA reported. Dominick fought off the beaver before being airlifted to Johns Hopkins hospital in Baltimore, where he underwent three surgeries on his chest and hands to repair nerve damage. He was also given a rabies post-exposure shot, with his father saying: “It’s not just one shot … It’s multiple shots around each bite site.” WUSA reported that the beaver was later confirmed to have rabies after being caught and euthanized. Multiple other beaver attacks have occurred in Maryland. On 5 August, a rabid beaver allegedly attacked the leg of a 19-year-old fisher at Cunningham Falls state park before being caught and euthanized. And a few days later, a 10-year-old girl endured a beaver attack while canoeing at Maryland’s Seneca Creek state park, CBS News reported.
On 6 August, the Maryland department of natural resources (DNR) announced that it was investigating a potential rabies outbreak in Cunningham Falls state park. Actions in response to that possible outbreak included “dismantling a nearby beaver lodge and establishing daily surveillance at the lake for other beavers using DNR staff and a wildlife damage control cooperator”. The Maryland DNR said its wildlife and heritage service would “institute night-time monitoring at the lake along with daytime surveillance to remove additional beavers, if any are present”. Although beavers are typically non-aggressive and avoid conflict with humans, people should still maintain a minimum safe viewing distance of 25 yards, the Maryland DNR advised.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recently reported that the agency from July through August had received 17% more rabies-related inquiries than during the same period in 2025 – including reports of mass exposure events that involve more than one person. Rabies is a zoonotic viral disease with a near 100% fatality rate once symptoms develop. However, it is preventable when post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP) is administered appropriately. PEP consists of a series of shots given promptly after potential exposure to the rabies virus Lyssavirus rabies and before symptoms begin. Common symptoms of rabies include anxiety, insomnia, hydrophobia, hypersalivation, fever and headaches.
This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success. Joshua 1:8
The FBI arrested a suspected Chinese agent at Los Angeles International Airport after she allegedly surveilled the Taiwanese president’s U.S.-based son, law enforcement sources told CBS News. Wanying “Heather”…
When life feels like you’re walking into the battle alone, remember this: you never take a single step without God beside you, His strength goes before you, His presence…
Not every message that sounds Christian is the Gospel of Jesus Christ. When the world pressures us to change God’s truth to make it more acceptable, we must remember…
Skyler King has completed his 1,200-mile journey from Oxford to New York City on a skateboard. He left Oxford on Aug. 1 and arrived in NYC on Sept. 12.…
Since 1977, the Sheldrick Wildlife Trust has led one of the biggest rescue and rehabilitation wildlife operations in East Africa. Although they specialize in elephant care, their sanctuaries are…
‘She Was Calm’: Neighbour Shares How flydubai Pilot’s Wife Reacted To CrisisWhile Captain Smit Machchhar recovers from the attack, his wife’s calm response to neighbours’ messages has highlighted the…
Talk less, listen more, because wisdom speaks after it understands, not before. If you want stronger relationships and real influence, master this: control your tongue, calm your anger, and…
Recent reporting (roughly September 25–October 2, 2026) on Christian persecution centers on continued lethal violence in Nigeria, house-church detentions in China, and related pressures elsewhere. Nigeria Attacks attributed to…
California has officially banned child marriage, with Governor Gavin Newsom signing legislation to end the practice that is still legal in 32 US states. The new law, which will…
The Texas Department of Public Safety arrested a Bexar County man Wednesday in connection with the threat of a “violent attack” on the Texas Capitol. He has since been…
You are in a spiritual battle, whether you recognize it or not. God has not left you defenseless, He has given you everything you need to stand firm. “Finally,…
SpaceX launched the company’s Super Heavy-Starship on its first flight to orbit Monday — an abbreviated three-hour mission that marked a major step toward perfecting the world’s most powerful…
Using a donated Hubble-class mirror originally built for a spy satellite, NASA’s Roman Space Telescope launched Sunday on a $4.3 billion mission to open a new window on the…
When Alicia Edmund heard the Parliament vote count for the UK’s assisted dying bill last week—286 noes to 270 ayes—her immediate reaction was shock. The bill had been defeated.…
The United States has confirmed for the first time that it has deployed weapons in space, prompting separate warnings from China and Russia. Air Force Secretary Troy Meink told…
NASA is working with Boeing to launch an unpiloted Starliner capsule in the December-to-January time frame to test upgrades and improvements ordered in the wake of a 2024 mission…
President Trump and Secretary of State Marco Rubio have criticized British counterterror police’s handling of a possible plot targeting a U.K. air base used by U.S. forces, with Rubio…
A FlyDubai flight from Dubai to Israel was forced to make an emergency landing in Saudi Arabia on Wednesday after a violent attempt by one of the pilots to…
A routine trip to a Lewisville ATM could have changed one man’s financial life a bit. Instead, it revealed something rich about his character. Lewisville police say a 37-year-old…
The Denver metro area is expected to see beneficial rain through the day on Wednesday. But, the updated forecast totals will be lower than originally anticipated as the track…
Chicago is consistently named one of the “rattiest” cities in America and an effort to change that is expanding. As more communities are turning to rat birth control, community…
You were not only saved from something, you were saved for something. God didn’t just rescue your life; He designed it with purpose, shaping you to reflect His goodness…
A boil water advisory continues until further notice in the Village of Romeo in Macomb County, Michigan, where a water main break occurred on Saturday. While the water main…
There was a scramble in the skies Sunday tied to President Trump’s visit to the Chicago area. Fighter jets intercepted multiple planes that violated flight restrictions. Witnesses caught videos…
The September nor’easter is leaving its mark across the state, with several reports of trees and wires down in multiple communities. A large tree completely uprooted on Lucy Street…
Indeed, all who desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted Paul was reminding Timothy that following Christ does not guarantee an easy life. When we choose…
You must be logged in to post a comment.