- An Arizona woman died in a Las Vegas hospital eight days after the moose attack
- A spilled bucket of corn at the scene suggested the woman may have fed the moose before the attack
- The incident marks the first fatal moose attack in the Grand Canyon State
An Arizona woman who was trampled by a moose in her backyard last month has become the first person to die from an attack by the animal in the Grand Canyon state.
The victim, who remains unidentified, died eight days after the attack at Sunrise Hospital in Las Vegas, the Arizona Game and Fish Department said.
On October 28, the woman was in the backyard of her home in Pine Lake, near Arizona’s Hualapai Mountains, when she was knocked to the ground.
Her husband returned home around 6 p.m. to find his wife with serious injuries.
An Arizona woman died in a Las Vegas hospital eight days after the moose attack (stock image)
The woman was rushed to a medical center in Kingman (pictured) and then transferred to Sunrise Hospital in Las Vegas, where she was placed in a medically induced coma due to the extent of her injuries.
She was rushed to Kingman Regional Medical Center and then transferred to Sunrise Hospital in Las Vegas, where she was placed in a medically induced coma due to the extent of her injuries.
He noticed a spilled bucket of corn nearby, indicating the woman had been feeding the moose before the attack.
She was rushed to Kingman Regional Medical Center and then transferred to Sunrise Hospital in Las Vegas, where she was placed in a medically induced coma due to the extent of her injuries.
The Arizona Game and Fish Department learned of the incident a day after the attack and visited the community. Officers posted signs at nearby homes warning residents not to approach or feed elk.
An officer noticed multiple moose tracks in the victim’s yard while speaking with her husband and other neighbors.
Officers again went door-to-door in the Pine Lake community on Nov. 3 to hand out more door advisory and post two roadside warning signs.
The Clark County Medical Examiner’s office ruled the woman’s cause of death was a result of the incident, which marked the first fatal moose attack in Arizona.
“Feeding is one of the leading sources of conflict between people and wildlife,” the Arizona Game and Fish Department says.
Arizona is home to approximately 35,000 elk, and these tend to become particularly aggressive during the rutting season, which runs from August to November
‘Wild animals that are fed by humans, or that obtain their food from, for example, unsecured waste or pet food, lose their natural fear of humans and become dependent on unnatural food sources.’
Devastated by the deaths, local residents in the Grand Canyon State urged people not to feed wild animals.
‘When will people learn that wildlife is wild! They should not be fed. They don’t want to take selfies with you. They don’t want to be your friend or pet,” one person wrote on social media.
‘Do not feed wild life, water it if possible and NEVER tamper with them while they are in estrus. Common sense. Sorry for the loss of lady. Maybe GFD needs to move some animals,” wrote another.
Arizona is home to approximately 35,000 elk, and these tend to become particularly aggressive during the rutting season, which runs from August to November.
Over the past five years, the state has seen five reports of moose attacks, including one case in Pine where a habituated moose caused serious head injuries to a female.
In 2015, two children suffered minor injuries when a foraging moose circled the picnic table where their family was eating in the Hualapai Mountains.