A javelina bit an Oro Valley woman on March 25 while she was walking her dogs with her husband in a neighborhood.
The woman sustained minor injuries after the javelina bit her thigh and was treated for the wound, possible infection, and rabies at Oro Valley Hospital, then released.
The woman, her husband, and the dogs encounter a herd of javelina and the dogs responded aggressively.
The couple maintained control over the dogs, according to a release, and attempted to leave the area.
As they did, the woman was bitten.
The Arizona Game and fish Department has issued a warning for desert dwellers that dogs and javelina do not mix.
“If you see javelina while walking your dog, go in the opposite direction. Javelina can’t tell the difference between a dog and a coyote, which prey on javelina, so javelina react instinctively to dogs,” said Regional Supervisor Raul Vega of Game and Fish in Tucson. “The presence of dogs is the second leading cause of injuries to humans by javelina, which are rare but can be serious. The leading cause of such injuries is feeding javelina, which is illegal.”
