Animal attacks in and around Tucson

An Oro Valley woman was knocked to the ground and bitten by a javelina Tuesday night while walking her dog, officials said.

This is the third javelina-related injury in Tucson in a year, after an Oro Valley resident was hurt in March and an eastside resident was injured May 1, both while walking their dogs, according to a news release from the Arizona Game and Fish Department.

The woman was attacked at about 9:30 p.m., near East Crown Ridge Drive and East Royal Ridge Drive. She was knocked over while trying to avoid two javelina attacking her dog and suffered a minor puncture wound to her left shoulder from one of the javelina, the release said.

She was treated at an Oro Valley hospital and released.

“Walking your dog at night is a recipe for a confrontation with javelina, so try to avoid doing so," Regional Supervisor Raul Vega said in the release. "If you see javelina while walking your dog, go in the opposite direction."

Javelina can't tell the difference between dogs and coyotes, which prey on javelina. As a result, javelina react instinctively to dogs, Vega said.

“The presence of dogs is the second leading cause of injuries to humans by javelina, which are rare but can be serious," Vega said. "The leading cause of such injuries is feeding javelina, which is illegal.”

Dogs and javelina can seriously hurt or kill each other if allowed to interact. When javelina become defensive, their behavior may include charging, teeth clacking or a barking, growling sound, the release said.

Javelina also may react defensively to protect their young or when they are cornered, the release said.

A Tucson woman was bitten by what authorities suspect was a rabid fox, which was later found drowned in a nearby bond, officials said.

At about 11:30 a.m. Wednesday, the woman was walking on a pathway along the Pantano Wash in Rancho del Lago, when the fox attacked her and bit her on the calf, according to a news release from the Arizona Game and Fish Department.

The fox, which apparently drowned in a golf course pond it entered after the attack, was recovered and submitted for rabies testing, as it was reportedly seen in the area acting erratically earlier in the day, the release said.

The woman was bitten when she tried to kick the fox away. Although the wound isn't serious, she's being treated for possible rabies exposure, the release said.

People are advised to avoid contact with and not approach wildlife that is behaving abnormally or seems ill, AZGFD regional supervisor, Raul Vega, said in the release.

If someone sees a rabid animal, they should call AZGFD at 623-236-7201 or the Pima County Health Department at 724-7797.

Rabid animals appear disoriented or intoxicated, salivate heavily or appear thirsty, the release said.

Officials also advise that people avoid touching dead wildlife and keep pets away from them.

Cats, dogs and livestock should be regularly vaccinated for rabies, and dogs should be kept on leashes when outdoors, the release said.

If pets are injured by wildlife, owners should visit a veterinarian.

In Arizona, foxes, skunks and bats are the principal hosts of rabies and carry their own distinct strains, the release said.

Each year, roughly 15 people are exposed to rabid animals in Arizona.

A coyote was euthanized Wednesday, after it attacked and bit a woman on Tucson's west side Monday, officials said.

This was a busy week for wildlife incidents, with a fox attack in Dudleyville Tuesday and a second coyote attack Saturday in the Chiricahua Mountains, Mark Hart, an Arizona Game and Fish Department spokesman, wrote in a news release.

The Monday coyote attack happened off Bonita Avenue, when a woman on a break from work was resting inside her car with the passenger door open. The coyote approached the woman and bit her on the thigh, the release said.

The coyote was located in the same area and humanely euthanized, according to the release.

Tuesday's fox attack happened near the Arizona Trail and the Saturday coyote attack took place in Green Canyon. Neither incident involved bites and in both cases, victims fought back, the release said.

The fox was kicked away and "probably later killed about a mile away" and the coyote was killed on scene, according to the release.

These attacks are the latest in a series of wildlife encounters, with a Vail woman being bit by a fox on Jan. 10 and two javelina attacks happening in the last month.

Rabies is suspected in the Jan. 10 fox incident, but test results are still pending.

“Avoid contact with and don’t approach wildlife that is behaving abnormally or appears to be ill," said Game and Fish regional supervisor, Raul Vega. “In addition, avoid touching any dead wildlife that you may find, and keep your pets away from them as well.”

If someone sees what they believe is a rabid animal, they should call Game and Fish at 623-236-7201 or the Pima County Health Department at 724-7797.