PHOENIX — It's been a javelina takeover at an apartment complex in North Phoenix recently. They have been seen roaming throughout the grounds over the past several months.
"They are right behind us and I'm like 'Cam, let's run, let's get out of here,'" says Mia Dauparas, resident.
"I've seen them walking my dog and I kind of just stomp at them or bow up at them and they'll scurry away," says Dalton Gregson, another resident.
Management for Marquis at Sonoran Preserve sent residents an email, warning them of a javelina attack on Wednesday. Neighbors tell us the woman was walking her dog on the sidewalk when they were attacked. It just so happens that a wash runs through the complex, so we're told the javelina came up from there. The woman apparently got hurt trying to save her dog. Their conditions are unclear.
"They come out at night sometimes on the patio and she didn't see them and just kind of got scared, spooked or whatever and, I think they just attacked her dog," says Gregson.
Dalton Gregson lives in that same building and works in maintenance at the property.
"We have these little sprinklers that spray out water, they'll chew the lines on the water and get the water to come out and like waller in it," says Gregson.
Although seemingly cute, Arizona Game and Fish says they can be vicious.
"If they smell dogs or see dogs, they think coyote and that's basically the arch-enemy of their babies," says Amy Burnett, PIO with the Arizona Game and Fish Department.
Property management tells residents that Maricopa County Animal Care and Control is refusing to remove them due to the location being their natural habitat. But, you can scare them away.
"A lot of people will tip-toe around or take video and be really quiet and, that's the opposite of what you should do. You should make a lot of noise, bang pots, and pans," says Burnett.
Make sure not to feed or try to touch them but some folks say they do like looking at them.
"I mean, that's one of the reasons why I moved here. It was for the… I like seeing the rabbits, and wildlife, and stuff," says Gregson.
"I love seeing the animals. We've seen coyotes we have seen rattlesnakes in the complex, there's a bobcat that comes through here. We haven't seen that yet, but I think it's cool," says Dauparas.
