An Arizona woman has lost her life after authorities believed she was trampled while attempting to feed the large ungulate from a bucket of corn.
The attack occurred in late October in the Pine Lake community in the Hualapai Mountains, some 15 miles southeast of Kingman, Arizona, according to a statement from Arizona Game and Fish Department. According to the victim’s husband, he had returned home from Kingman at around 6 p.m. and found his wife on the ground in the yard with injuries consistent with being trampled by an elk. He also stated that there was a bucket of spilled corn close to where his wife’s body lay, indicating that she was likely feeding the elk, or attempting to at the time of the incident.
After calling 911, his wife was transported to the Kingman Regional Medical Center and then to Sunrise Hospital in Las Vegas. She was then put into a medically induced coma because of her injuries.
It wasn’t until November 3rd that Arizona Game and Fish was contacted by the Kingman Police Department advising the agency that the victim had passed away.
In what authorities believe to be the first fatal elk attack in the state of Arizona, officials are reminding residents to keep their distance and refrain from feeding large mammals such as elk.
“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,” AZGFD said in a statement. “Feeding puts at risk the person doing the feeding, their neighbors, and the wildlife itself. Please do not feed wildlife.”
