PHOENIX — A javelina was caught on Ring camera video walking through the Windsor Square Historic Neighborhood near Central and Camelback Road Friday night.
Javelinas are more commonly found in the fringes of the Valley like Scottsdale but will wander looking for food.
They've even been spotted in downtown Phoenix near 7th Street and Jefferson.
Arizona Game and Fish Department spokesperson Amy Burnett says javelina sightings in urban neighborhoods may become more common in the future because of people.
"A lot of javelina that have become urbanized are because people are helping them out, feeding them, and attracting them with food," Burnett says.
A favorite for javelina: cat food. People who tend to feed feral cats are inadvertently luring the peccaries, too.
Burnett says to be smart if you encounter javelina.
"Turn around if you're walking in their path, but if you're too close, make yourself big and make a lot of noise to try and scare them off," she said.
