​​​​​​​Bobcat in Anthem attack tests positive for rabies​​

PHOENIX — A bobcat that attacked a large dog and bit a man on the hand in the Anthem Country Club area on Sunday evening has tested positive for rabies.

At 7:30 p.m. Sunday, the Arizona Game and Fish Department received a call that a man was bitten on the hand by a bobcat. The man reported to officers that the bobcat attacked a German shepherd and he was bitten while trying to separate the two animals.

The bobcat quickly fled the immediate area, but was located and dispatched. The animal underwent a necropsy by the department’s wildlife health veterinarian and tissue samples were sent to the Arizona Department of Health Services. Results showed it tested positive for rabies.

While bobcats are abundant throughout Arizona––including in urban areas—they can be aggressive if they become sick, trapped or are defending offspring or a territory. They also tend to frequent habitats where food and water are plentiful, such as in neighborhoods.

Because bobcats are rarely a threat to people and commonly coexist without incident, AZGFD does not routinely relocate bobcats. To discourage bobcats from living near a residence, homeowners should:

  • Keep domestic animals such as small dogs, cats, chickens and rabbits, in a secure enclosure with a sturdy roof if outdoors and unattended.
  • Keep small dogs and cats indoors, in a secure enclosure or on a leash when outdoors.
  • Feed dogs and cats inside or remove any uneaten pet food left outside between feedings.
  • Keep the landscaping around your home neatly trimmed to cover to hide. Likewise relocate or remove piles of debris or junk.
  • Repair openings in fences that could allow a bobcat to easily enter the yard.
  • Fencing your yard is helpful, however, bobcats can jump up to 12 feet, so a 6-foot-tall fence may not deter them if they are attracted to something in the yard.

Residents can discourage a bobcat from living near their home by:

  • Making loud noises such as yelling, using whistles, horns, blaring music or bang on pots and pans.
  • Spraying it with a garden hose.
  • Throwing objects (e.g., rocks, sticks, toys, cans, shoes, etc.) at it.

For information about living in the vicinity of bobcats and how to discourage them from living near your home, visit the Department’s website at www.azgfd.gov.

Coconino, Kaibab Forest and County fire restrictions end tomorrow

FLAGSTAFF — In coordination with area partners such as the U.S. Forest Service and the Arizona Department of Forestry and Fire Management, Coconino County will remove fire restrictions at 8 a.m., Tuesday, July 18.

Significant moisture and fewer wildland fire starts throughout northern Arizona has brought has decreased the fire risk in the region. When local area U.S Forests lift fire restrictions, the Coconino Wildland Defense Ordinance allows for Coconino County Emergency Manager Whitney to remove restrictions.

Several areas in the region may have received less precipitation, causing fire danger to be higher in some locations. Residents and visitors are asked to use caution when using equipment or items that can spark a fire. They are also asked to extinguish all campfires, operate ATVS and motorcycles with spark arrestors and to use caution when operating barbeque grills. Residents and visitors are reminded they can be legally responsible for causing wildfires.

The County Enacted Stage 2 fire restrictions on June 22 due to very high wildfire danger in the area and went back to Stage 1 fire restrictions at the onset of the monsoon, July 13.

The Coconino and Kaibab forests have lifted their restrictions, also. The Coconino has been under Stage 2 fire restrictions while Kaibab remained in Stage 1 since mid-June.

“With the monsoon moisture we have received, the decreasing fire danger, and the availability of many firefighting resources, fire officials on both forests collaboratively decided it is the appropriate time to lift all fire restrictions for the Coconino and Kaibab,” said Jason Clawson, fire staff officer for the Kaibab National Forest. “Fire restrictions are a great tool for us in preventing unwanted, human-caused fires, and we’d like to thank our visitors for their vigilance in being cautious with potential ignition sources while recreating in the forests.”

The Coconino and Kaibab forests initially implemented campfire and smoking restrictions on June 13, in order to protect public health and reduce preventable, human-caused wildfires. While fire restrictions will be lifted over the next two days, visitors are always expected to use caution with campfires and other potential ignition sources. Campfires should always be completely extinguished and never left unattended or abandoned.

The task ahead is to remind people that they still have to be careful with camp fires. First you are required to have a shovel and enough water on hand to put out the fire out when you leave. A camp fire is NOT a bonfire. You should only build a fire that you can control. Remember winds can kick up and distribute sparks over a wide area.