Video: Javelina Fully Sniffs Christmas Decor At Scottsdale Home

PHOENIX, AZ — Video as seen on the Neighbors app caught two javelinas taking a closer look at the snowmen Christmas decorations at a Scottsdale home Wednesday. The first javelina appears somewhat drawn to the decorations, but keeps some distance. The second javelina approaches the snowmen, Christmas gifts and other decor directly and sniffs them close up and thoroughly.

Was it the festive colors of the decorations that drew the javelinas? Were they out shopping for Christmas gifts? They made too fast a getaway to really know. But there are some things that are not quite as mysterious about these desert animals.

Though Phoenix metro area and other Arizona residents often call javelinas "desert pigs," they're not. They're part of a family of hoofed mammals classified as "peccary" that came from South America originally, the Arizona Game and Fish Department reported.

The foods javelinas might be searching for in more populated areas such as the neighborhood in the video include succulent plants, flowers, lush vegetation, garbage, table scraps or even birdseed.

Or the javelinas might go into neighborhoods in search of water from irrigation hoses or pools.

The Arizona Game and Fish Department's website advises people to never give food to a javelina, but not for the reason you might think. "[Feeding javelinas] can cause them to become regular visitors and lose their fear of people, creating problems for the neighborhood and often leading to the death of the javelina."

Javelinas might also draw mountain lions to your home, as they prey on javelina. Javelinas are also very protective of their young and might become defensive around dogs, which are also javelina predators.

If you see a javelina near your home, the Department suggests making loud noises or throwing small rocks toward the area the javelina occupies. Or if a javelina gets shut into a gated area, open the gate and let the javelina walk away on its own. If it hasn't walked away by the next day, call a local wildlife control organization serving the Phoenix area or Maricopa County such as the many listed on the Department's website or call the Department.

If a javelina is acting aggressively toward humans while inside a gated area or otherwise confined, Phoenix area residents should call the local Arizona Game and Fish Department office at 602-942-3000 during weekday business hours. On weekends and after hours, call the Department's dispatcher at 623-236-7201.

The Arizona Game and Fish Department advises residents that javelina relocation by a wildlife business or the Department should only be done as a last resort, as it typically causes the javelina's death because of herd separation or inability to locate shelter, food or water in a new locale.

Anyone who is bitten by a javelina — which happens occasionally and is nearly always when feeding javelina — should seek medical attention right away, the Arizona Game and Fish Department advises.

To learn more about javelinas and what to do if you see one, access the Arizona Game and Fish Department's website.

Ring, the owner of the Neighbors app, is a Patch advertiser. Patch received no compensation for this article.