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Which came first, the pigs or the pioneers? In Barbados, that has been a historical mystery ever since the first English colonists arrived on the island in 1627 to encounter what they thought was a herd of wild European pigs. A recent discovery by an SFU archaeologist is shedding new light on the matter. Christina Giovas uncovered the jaw bone of a peccary, a South American mammal that resembles a wild pig, while researching a larger project on prehistoric animal introductions in the Caribbean... Giovas and collaborators George Kamenov and John Krigbaum of the University of Florida radiocarbon-dated the bone...

While growing up, I read a constant litany explaining that Javelina's were not dangerous. I read, over and over, that all the old stories of them attacking humans were old wives tales, not documented, never happened. So, I was a bit surprised to come across a news article from the 7th of May, 2016, that had hard evidence of an unprovoked real world attack by a herd of javelinas.  It was life threatening for an adult human with two leashed dogs. From fox10phoenix.com: The victim told authorities that a herd of javelina came out of a nearby wash, crossed...

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...

Heading into the Pima Pet Clinic, Tracy Gordon holds Tino, who received a large bite on the neck during a javelina attack. Another of her Chihuahuas, Peatree, was in critical condition Thursday afternoon. Gordon's leg was bitten, and she was treated at Tucson Medical Center. chris richards / arizona daily star At 7:15 a.m. Wednesday, Gordon and her three Chihuahuas were attacked by a pack of javelinas, an unusual moment because Gordon's previous encounters with them on her daily walks were always uneventful. It started with one javelina sighting on Snyder, near North Sabino Canyon Road. The javelina charged...