Arizona woman dead after elk tramples her in Hualapai Mountains, park officials say
An Arizona woman died on Sunday eight days after an elk attack in the Hualapai Mountains, officials say.
The woman was hospitalized after the elk apparently trampled her around 6 p.m. on Oct. 26 in the Pine Lake community in Mohave County, Arizona, according to the state's Game and Fish Department.
The victim's husband was about 15 miles away during the incident and found her on the ground inured in their backyard with a bucket of spilled corn nearby, the department said in a press release.
After he called 911, his wife was transported to the local medical center in Kingman, Arizona and later to a Las Vegas hospital. The husband said medical officials placed his wife into a medically induced coma due to her injuries, according to the press release.
"The Arizona Game and Fish Department (AZGFD) did not learn about the attack until the next day, Oct. 27, when a local resident informed a department officer," the press release reads.
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There were no witnesses during the incident, which the Clark County Medical Examiner’s office deemed to be an accident. The department did not release the name of the victim.
A department officer spoke with the husband and noticed multiple elk tracks in the yard, according to the press release. The officer also placed door hanger warning signs on nearby homes advising residents not to feed or approach elk.
The Kingman Police Department informed the department of the victim's death on Nov 3. AZGFD officers then spoke to residents door to door and placed more door hanger warning signs and two roadside warning signs.
The incident is believed to be the first fatal elk attack in Arizona.
While there have been five reported elk attacks in Arizona is the past five years, this October incident is the first fatality, the press release adds.
"Feeding is one of the main sources of conflict between humans and wildlife. Fed wildlife becomes habituated to humans," the press release states. "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."
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