Game and Fish is urging everyone to stop feeding wildlife following two recent javelina attacks near Sedona. Officials say both attacks were the result of people feeding javelina at their homes. Officials say the first incident involved a 79-year old Sedona woman who received severe bite wounds to her leg while intentionally feeding a herd of javelina. The second involved an elderly man in the Village of Oak Creek who was bitten on the leg while feeding the animals in his backyard. Officials say the incidents required the department to contract with the Department of Agriculture and Wildlife for the lethal removal of all javelina within a quarter-mile radius of the victims’ homes. The decision to lethally remove the animals was based on the attacks and that the animals could have been rabid. A javelina tested positive for rabies in Sedona about 8-months ago. Officials say wildlife feeding frequently creates dangerous situations for both wildlife and people, often setting the stage for attacks.
