Rabid Beavers Reported in New York—Here’s What to Know

According to the New York Post, New Yorkers may have a new animal to keep an eye on this summer, and surprisingly, it's not a rat.

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Apparently, there have been reports of rabid beavers causing problems in parts of New York and New Jersey, with some swimmers and fishermen reportedly getting bitten. I don't know about you, but "attacked by a beaver" wasn't on my 2026 bingo card.

The good news is this isn't something the average person should be losing sleep over. Wildlife experts say rabid beavers are extremely uncommon. In fact, there were only about 40 confirmed cases over nearly two decades, and beavers aren't considered one of the primary animals that spread rabies.

Still, if you happen to run into one, it's probably best to admire it from a distance. Beavers may look like oversized, buck-toothed teddy bears, but they're basically nature's construction workers. Those teeth are designed to chew through trees, and they can swim faster than most people can. That's not exactly an animal I'd want to challenge to a race.

The experts say beavers are generally pretty laid-back and would rather be left alone. Most of the time, they'll only become aggressive if they feel their home is being threatened or if they think you're getting too close to their young.

So no, you don't need to cancel that weekend trip to New York because of an army of zombie beavers roaming Central Park. This isn't some low-budget horror movie called Night of the Living Rodents.

The takeaway here is pretty simple: if you see a beaver acting strangely or aggressively, don't stick around to investigate. Give it plenty of space and let wildlife officials handle it.

It's funny how every summer seems to come with a new thing we're supposed to worry about. This year, apparently, it's angry beavers.