A 14-year-old boy from Maryland required three surgeries and multiple rounds of rabies injections after being attacked by a rabid beaver while swimming underwater at Cunningham Falls State Park. Dominick Cebula was observing fish on 29 July when the animal latched onto his chest and, after he managed to pull it off, bit both of his hands as he tried to fend it off. The incident highlights the danger posed by rabid wildlife even in seemingly safe recreational settings, and the animal was later confirmed to have tested positive for rabies.

Dominick was airlifted to Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore, where he underwent three operations to treat severe bite wounds and repair damaged nerves, with a further procedure still needed to reattach a severed nerve in his right hand. He has been left with numbness in parts of his hands and chest, though he has continued his recovery, celebrating his 14th birthday, going on a family holiday and starting high school. His father hopes he will be fit to resume wrestling training in October, with the boy's aunt crediting his wrestling background for helping him fight off the beaver.