Tucson dog walker suffers broken leg in javelina attack

The “blind-side” attack occurred about 7 a.m. on March 7 near Craycroft Road and 22nd Street, the department said Friday on Twitter.

“Javelina think dogs are coyotes” and defend themselves against the perceived predators, the March 17 tweet said. “Victims get hurt when defending their dogs. Go the other way ASAP when javelina are seen.”

In this case, the injured person was treated and released, the department’s statement said. No further details were given.

In September 2022, two people were bitten by javelina in the Tucson area while walking their dogs in separate incidents, state wildlife officials reported then.

One, an 11-year-old girl who was walking with her mother, was treated for minor injuries at a local hospital after being bitten near Campbell Avenue and Skyline Drive.

That came two days after a woman and her dog were attacked from behind by a javelina on La Cholla Boulevard near Magee Road. The woman was left with a 2-inch gash on her thigh and her dog with a leg wound, both of which required treatment but no hospitalization, according to Arizona Daily Star archives.

Game and Fish Department spokesman Mark Hart explained then that javelinas are not normally aggressive toward people, but they will react instinctively to perceived threats.

“They have a keen sense of smell, but they don’t see very well,” he said. “They can’t distinguish the difference between a dog and a coyote, and a coyote is a natural enemy.”