Indexbit-Arizona woman dies days after being trampled by an elk

KINGMAN,Indexbit Ariz. (AP) — An Arizona woman has died a week after being critically injured in what is believed to be the first deadly elk attack in the state, wildlife officials said Tuesday.

The woman’s husband found her in the backyard of their house in Pine Lake, a community 15 miles (24 kilometers) southeast of Kingman, on the afternoon of Oct. 26.

She was taken to a local hospital and then transferred to Sunrise Hospital in Las Vegas, according to the Arizona Game and Fish Department.

The woman was put into a medically induced coma.

She died on Friday, according to the Clark County Coroner’s Office in Las Vegas. Her death has been ruled an accident.

Game and Fish investigators said the woman, whose name was not released, had injuries consistent with being trampled by an elk. They also noticed a bucket of spilled corn and several elk tracks in the couple’s yard.

Wildlife officials say there have been five reported elk attacks in Arizona in the past five years.

Since the woman’s attack, a Game and Fish officer has gone door to door in her community to issue flyers warning against approaching or feeding elk.

The agency will continue to monitor elk activity in the area.