Woman dies after elk trampled her

KINGMAN, Ariz. — A woman has died after an elk attacked her in her backyard near Kingman, Arizona late last month, officials said.

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The Arizona Game & Fish Department said a woman had been hospitalized for eight days following the attack at her house in the Hualapai Mountains which is about 15 miles from Kingman.

Officials said that the attack happened on Oct. 26. while the woman’s husband was not home. When he returned around 6 p.m., he found his wife in their backyard with injuries that appeared to be consistent with being trampled on by an elk. He called 911 and she was taken to the hospital. The woman’s husband told authorities that she was put into a medically induced coma.

The Arizona Game & Fish Department said they first learned about the attack on Oct. 27. The day after, an office visited the community and put door hanger warning signs on houses in the area. When the officer was at the victim’s house, they noticed that there were multiple elk tracks in the yard.

Last Friday, the Kingman Police Department contacted the Arizona Game & Fish Department to tell them that the woman had died, according to KNXV. The Clark County Medical Examiner’s Office in Nevada determined that her death was an accident.

This attack believed is to be the first deadly elk attack in Arizona, officials said.

“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,” the Arizona Game & Fish Department said.

One of the biggest reasons why wildlife gets violent towards humans is because of feeding, KTVK reported. In 2015, officials said that two children were hurt when a hungry elk was circling a picnic table where they were eating in the Hualapai Mountains. A woman’s head was severely injured in 2021 by an elk after it got used to being around humans in Pine.