Posted on 03/17/2015 3:30:45 PM PDT by nickcarraway
A big part of living in the southwest is the area's wildlife, but coexisting with Arizona's critters can be a little too "wild". Among them, many Tucsonans have close encounters with javelina.
Karen Lansdale, who lives in the Tucson Foothills, was out for her daily walk with her dog Sonny, when she crossed paths with two very large javelina.
"I noticed off in the distance two javelina," said Lansdale. "The next thing i knew they were bounding towards me."
Not knowing what else to do, Lansdale said she then ran. When the javelina got on each side of her, she reverted to the only defense she had left.
"I just started screaming murder, complete crazy," she said. "I couldn't believe it was coming out my mouth and it seemed like five minutes, but it was probably more like 45 seconds, and they retreated and off they went."
Lisa Bates is the founder of the Tucson Wildlife Center, she said the javelina or the peccary are not out wandering the desert looking for a fight.
"The javelina and the desert are very misunderstood, they're just like the domestic pigs," said Bates."They're very smart; smarter than dogs."
They also don't like dogs, more specifically coyotes, that often prey on their babies. That is usually the reason people find out what an angry javelina is capable of.
The Arizona Game and Fish Department agrees that screaming as well as any loud noise can persuade javelina to move on. Besides a contempt for dogs, they will protect their young to the death. Never feed them, and that includes never leaving your garbage cans where they can get to them.
Lisa Bates, who has committed her life to rescuing and rehabilitating wildlife, said we all share the desert and the javelina is just one of our incredible neighbors.
"They're just amazing animals, you see them fighting, you see them nurturing and you see them protecting."
Bates adds that anyone who encounters an orphaned or injured javelina, or any wild animal should call the Tucson Wildlife Center first, at (520) 290-9453, or go to their website at http://www.tucsonwildlife.com/.
How do they taste?
Thems good eatin’
like chikin
Don’t look like much on the bones, but I guess if you’re starving, any little bit would help, huh?
Can we export some breeding pairs to Saudi Arabia and Iran, perhaps?
full of parasites and filth. yummy.
Free range bacon
Oh cute. Look at the piggy wiggy. Ouch! Bad piggy.
Horrible.
Essentially inedible.
They aren’t pigs, but they are related, and I’ve heard they taste like pork, which of course tastes like chicken. No kidding, Mythbusters did a blind taste test of all those exotic meats like alligator, snake, etc. plus turkey and pork, and some chicken, and asked people what tasted like chicken. The only other meat people often thought was chicken was pork.
What about babies. The other other white meat. :)
Several years ago my wife and I teamed up with my son and his wife to purchase a house on Javelina Rd in Payson, Arizona. On one of our visits to the house during the escrow period we were standing at the back of the house which backed up on the U.S. forest. While we were talking with the realtor a couple of javelina came around the side of the house and rambled off into the forest. We were all startled.
I turned to the realtor and informed him that if the property had been on Grizzly Rd, the deal would have been OFF!
Get a younger one and prepare it properly, and it will sustain life and form a proper turd.
“Truth in advertising” can get really bad, can’t it? :=)
Javi recipe:
First, marinade the dressed skunk-pig in a bath of beer, chiles, honey, onions, carrots and celery for 24 hours.
Next, dig 3 foot deep pit, place 6” of good Mesquite coals in the bottom, cover with some aluminum foil, then an untreated pine board.
Next, wrap the Javi in marinade-soaked burlap and place on the board.
Next, build a tent of aluminum foil over the Javi, then put some river rocks, then more Mesquite coals. then cover the pit with dirt.
Come back in 24 hours. Uncover the pig, throw it away and eat the pine board.
Lol. Yep.
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