A woman is dead after she was apparently trampled by an elk near Kingman, Arizona.
On Tuesday, Arizona Game and Fish Department (AZGFD) officials announced a woman, who has not been named, died eight days after the incident in the Pine Lake community, about 15 miles southeast of Kingman.
The attack reportedly happened on Oct. 26 while the woman's husband was in Kingman. According to officials, when the husband returned to their property, he found his wife on the ground in the backyard with injuries that appeared to be consistent with being trampled on by an elk. He also reported seeing a bucket of spilled corn nearby.
Authorities say there are no witnesses to the incident.
The woman was transported to the Kingman Regional Medical Center then to Sunrise Hospital in Las Vegas.
On Nov. 3, the Kingman Police Department contacted the Arizona Game and Fish Department saying the woman had died at the hospital. The Clark County Medical Examiner’s Office in Nevada determined the death to be an accident.
Tribal officer fired after shooting death of beloved deer
A deer the community named Annie was known to be comfortable around humans. The Pokagon Band of Tribal Police wrangled and shot the animal.
When AZGFD workers were alerted about the incident the day after, they alerted nearby residents and reminded them not to approach or feed elk. When they arrived at the property where the incident happened, they observed multiple elk tracks in the yard.
This incident is believed to be the first deadly elk attack in Arizona, according to AZGFD. There have been five reported elk attacks in the state during the past five years that resulted in various injuries.
AZGFD provided the following message:
"The public is urged to help keep wildlife wild. 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. Feeding puts at risk the person doing the feeding, their neighbors, and the wildlife itself. Please do not feed wildlife."
For more information about the dangers of feeding wildlife, please visit their website.
This story was originally published by Hector Gonzales at Scripps News Phoenix.
