Javelina attacks 11-year-old girl walking dogs in Arizona, officials say
An 11-year-old girl walking dogs was hurt after being attacked by a javelina the day after another person was also attacked, Arizona wildlife officials said.
The girl was attacked on Sunday, Sept. 4 in Tucson, according to a tweet from the Arizona Game and Fish Department, while another person also walking dogs was attacked in the city’s northwest on Saturday, Sept. 3.
Though they are sometimes thought to be wild pigs, javelinas are “members of the peccary family, a group of hoofed mammals originating from South America,” that are common in central and southern Arizona, according to the department’s website.
Javelina attacks are usually the result of people feeding them illegally or their “instinctive reaction to dogs,” the department said on Twitter.
While javelinas may visit semi-urban areas, it is advised to never feed them, the department said.
“This can cause them to become regular visitors and lose their fear of people, creating problems for the neighborhood and often leading to the death of the javelina,” the department said.
Javelinas are defensive when protecting their young, “or when they hear or smell a dog,” the department said. When the animals are acting defensively, they may charge, clack their teeth or make a barking sound.
To scare the animals off, the department advises making loud sounds, throwing small rocks, or “spraying them with vinegar, water from a garden hose, or large squirt gun filled with diluted household ammonia.”
“The odor of the ammonia and the nasal irritation it causes will encourage the javelina to leave,” the department said. “Avoid spraying ammonia in the eyes as it may cause damage even at this low concentration.”
This story was originally published September 6, 2022 at 6:03 PM with the headline "Javelina attacks 11-year-old girl walking dogs in Arizona, officials say."
