Man finds wife trampled by elk in back yard, Arizona officials say. She died

A woman trampled by an elk has died of her injuries, marking the first known fatal elk encounter in Arizona, wildlife officials reported.

Her husband found the injured woman, whose name was not released, in their back yard at about 6 p.m. Oct. 26, the Arizona Department of Game and Fish said in a Nov. 7 news release.

An elk had trampled the woman at their home in Pine Lake in the Hualapai Mountains earlier that afternoon while the man was in Kingman, about 15 miles away, officials said.

The husband also found a bucket of spilled corn nearby, authorities said. Wildlife officers investigating the incident found “multiple elk tracks in the yard.”

The woman was hospitalized for eight days and died Nov. 3, of her injuries, the release said.

It’s believed to be the first recorded fatal elk encounter in Arizona, the release said. Five people have been hurt in encounters with elk in the past five years.

“Feeding is one of the main sources of conflict between humans and wildlife,” officials said. “Fed wildlife becomes habituated to humans.”

The woman’s death has been ruled an accident.

The agency advised people not to feed wildlife.

“Feeding puts at risk the person doing the feeding, their neighbors, and the wildlife itself,” officials said. “Please do not feed wildlife.”

Kingman is about 195 miles northwest of Phoenix.

This story was originally published November 8, 2023 at 7:28 AM with the headline "Man finds wife trampled by elk in back yard, Arizona officials say. She died."