Woman possibly feeding wildlife killed in first deadly elk attack in Arizona
A tragic incident occurred in the Pine Lake community within the Hualapai Mountains, where a woman lost her life following an encounter with an elk, according to the Arizona Game and Fish Department.
This unfortunate event is believed to be the first fatal elk attack in the state of Arizona. On October 26, the woman was discovered by her husband with injuries consistent with an elk trampling. He mentioned finding a spilled bucket of corn nearby, suggesting a possible link between the attack and wildlife feeding in the area. The Arizona Game and Fish Department issued a statement emphasizing the importance of preserving the natural behavior of wildlife, cautioning that human-fed or wildlife reliant on unnatural food sources pose risks not only to those who feed them but also to their neighbors and the animals themselves.
The woman was initially taken to Kingman Regional Medical Center and later transferred to Sunrise Hospital in Las Vegas, where she was placed in a medically induced coma due to the severity of her injuries.
In response to the incident, the Arizona Game and Fish Department took action by distributing warnings to residents in the community, advising against approaching or feeding wildlife. They also inspected the site of the attack, where elk tracks were found on the ground.
Tragically, the woman passed away on November 3, with the Clark County Medical Examiner’s Office classifying her death as accidental. Over the past five years, Arizona has witnessed five reported elk attacks, but this incident marks the first fatality. Notably, in 2015, two children sustained minor injuries during a similar encounter with a food-seeking elk in the Hualapai Mountains. In 2021, an adult female suffered serious head injuries from an elk accustomed to human presence in Pine.
