Javelina charges, attacks man walking dog in Arizona suburb, officials say
An odd-looking hooved animal resembling a small pig attacked a man walking his dog last week in a Tuscon, Arizona, suburb.
The man picked up his dog when the javelina charged them on Oct. 28 and was bitten on the foot, the Arizona Game and Fish Department said. The attack happened near the Oro Valley Country Club.
It was the second javelina attack in a month in the Or Valley area, officials said. Earlier in October, javelinas attacked a woman and killed one of her two dogs, KGUN reported. The other dog was injured.
“Javelina and human being conflicts are rare,” Mark Hart of AZGFD told KGUN. “But when there’s a dog involved, that’s where it gets risky... The puncture wounds from their canine teeth can cause some pretty severe injury.”
“Javelina see dogs as coyotes, react instinctively,” the Arizona Game and Fish Department tweeted. “Go the other way if seen while dog walking.”
While javelina resemble pigs, they are not. The creatures can weigh between 40 to 60 pounds and stand around 20 inches tall, Southwest Wildlife says. Their “coats are thick and bristly,” and they also have poor eyesight and a good sense of smell. Since they’re alert for predators, they may act defensively toward dogs.
This story was originally published October 31, 2021 at 8:45 AM with the headline "Javelina charges, attacks man walking dog in Arizona suburb, officials say."