An Arizona woman who was trampled by an elk in her backyard last month is the first person to die from an attack by the animal in the Grand Canyon state.
The victim, who remains unidentified, passed away at Sunrise Hospital in Las Vegas eight days after the attack, the Arizona Game and Fish Department said.
On October 28, the woman was in the backyard of her Pine Lake home near the Hualapai Mountains in Arizona when she was knocked to the ground.
Her husband returned home at around 6pm only to find his wife with severe injuries.
An Arizona woman died in a Las Vegas hospital eight days after the elk attack (stock image)
The woman was rushed to a medical center in Kingman (pictured) and subsequently moved to Sunrise Hospital in Las Vegas, where she was placed in a medically induced coma due to the extent of her injuries
She was rushed to the Kingman Regional Medical Center and subsequently moved to Sunrise Hospital in Las Vegas, where she was placed in a medically induced coma due to the extent of her injuries
He saw a spilled bucket of corn nearby, suggesting that the woman may have been feeding the elk before the attack.
She was rushed to the Kingman Regional Medical Center and subsequently moved to Sunrise Hospital in Las Vegas, where she was placed in a medically induced coma due to the extent of her injuries.
The Arizona Game and Fish Department learned about the incident a day after the attack and visited the community. Officers delivered signs to nearby homes warning residents not to approach or feed elk.
An officer noticed multiple elk tracks in the victim’s yard when speaking with the her husband and other neighbors.
Officers again went door to door in the Pine Lake community on November 3 to hand out more door advice and put up two roadside warning signs.
The Clark County Medical Examiner’s office deemed the woman’s cause of death was a result of the incident, marking the first fatal elk attack in Arizona.
‘Feeding is one of the main sources of conflict between humans and wildlife,’ the Arizona Game and Fish Department said.
Arizona is home to approximately 35,000 elk, and they tend to become particularly aggressive during the rut season, spanning from August to November
‘Wildlife that are fed by people, or that get food sources from items such as unsecured garbage or pet food, lose their natural fear of humans and become dependent on unnatural food sources.’
Devastated by the death, local residents in the Grand Canyon State urged people not to feed wild animals.
‘When will people learn that wildlife is wild! They should not be fed. They don’t want to take selfies with you. They don’t want to be your friend or pet,’ one person wrote on social media.
‘Don’t feed the wild life give water if can and NEVER mess with while they are in rut. Common sense. Sorry for the loss of lady. Maybe GFD needs to relocate some animals,’ another wrote.
Arizona is home to approximately 35,000 elk, and they tend to become particularly aggressive during the rut season, spanning from August to November.
Over the past five years, the state has seen five reported elk attacks, including one case in Pine where a habituated elk caused serious head injuries to a female.
In 2015, two children sustained minor injuries when a food-seeking elk circled the picnic table where their family was eating in the Hualapai Mountains.
