Following the javelina attacks in recent weeks, Town Manager Grady Miller provided an update on local wash maintenance at the May 19 Town Council meeting.

Back in April, a resident expressed concerns involving wash maintenance, the timeframe of completion, and whether or not said maintenance had an impact on the javelina attacks around town.

Speaking with Arizona Game and Fish Ranger Amy Burnett, Miller stated that the work in local washes was not suspected to be tied to the attacks. Instead, he said that residents feeding the wild animals were identified as the main cause.

In total, The Town of Fountain Hills has 700-plus acres of wash to maintain, a task that mostly includes clearing brush in order to keep water flow consistent and cut down on wildfire threats.

Clearing the washes is on a four-year cycle in order to cover all of that acreage. According to Miller, the Malta area, site of the first javelina attack, is scheduled to be completed in November of this year.

Javelina

Burnett also gave a presentation during the May 19 Council meeting about the dangers of feeding wildlife. This was an abbreviated version of a presentation she gave to the community this past Monday, May 23.

More details on the presentation, as well as tips from Burnett concerning coexisting with wildlife, will be in the June 1 edition of The Times.

For the time being, Burnett stressed that feeding wildlife was directly tied to the recent javelina attacks, and that the feeding of wildlife is a crime.

A wealth of information can also be found at azgfd.com/Wildlife/LivingWith.