Javelinas in Sedona: Nuisance, Neighbor, or Newfound Deity?
By Tara Golden
Sedona, AZ — The debate over Sedona’s most polarizing residents continues: are javelinas menacing desert demons or misunderstood deities?
“Through the bedroom window, I can hear them. The sounds of snarling, snorting, shrieking—and the skunk-like stench—fill the room. They’ve overcome all my multi-year efforts to keep them out, including my two new reinforced side gates. They throw their up to 70-pound bodies at the latched gates and it opens—and they’re in, the whole herd of up to 30 animals, large and small,” said a West Sedona resident.
Javelinas—gray, wiry, pig-like creatures that actually belong to the peccary family—are a common sight around Sedona. Traveling in herds and sometimes bringing their young into residential neighborhoods, they have become both a source of fascination and frustration for locals.
On trash day, it’s not unusual to find bins overturned and waste scattered along the streets, evidence of their late-night visits.
To combat these frequent raids, local nurseries have compiled lists of “javelina-resistant” plants, though results are mixed. These opportunistic foragers will sample almost anything—from landscaping succulents to Amazon packages containing soap or protein bars. Once a herd claims a property as a reliable food source, persuading them to move on can prove nearly impossible. Under current Arizona law, removal is permitted only in cases of documented aggression or attacks.
The sounds of these nocturnal visitors can be disturbing. Some homeowners describe the racket of snorting, squealing, and grunting outside their windows as “demons fighting,” a chilling chorus that can last well into the night. Adding to the disruption, their scent glands—similar to those of skunks—release an odor that lingers long after they’ve gone.
Sedona Police Department Community Service Officer Billingsley said repeat sightings often come down to residents feeding them, intentionally or otherwise.
“Some neighborhoods in Sedona have them return again and again because
they are following resource paths—people leave out food or intentionally
feed them,” Billingsley said. “A gentleman carelessly left some bags of
dry food accessible to Javelinas, he tried to stop them from eating it and his hand was bitten clean through. They are wild big game animals and should be respected as such. They are also omnivores and will consume most anything. If people would give them more distance and refrain from feeding javelina many of the human/javelina conflicts could be avoided."
Local resident Sandhi Doskocil said she’s had her own close encounters.
“Some areas of Sedona are overrun with them because people feed them,” she said. “I know of someone whose dog was killed by a javelina, and my own dog was nearly attacked near Oak Creek Canyon. They might look cute, but they can be mean and vicious.”
Yet not everyone sees the animals in a negative light. Many find them charming or symbolic of Sedona’s rugged spirit. Colorful javelina sculptures appear throughout Uptown Sedona, metal javelina sculptures greet visitors at the Red Rock Ranger District office, and Brewer Road Park features a javelina-themed play structure for children.
Local tour guide Chad Graf said he considers javelinas one of his spirit animals—a symbol of family and resilience.
“There are many admirable qualities about the javelinas,” Graf said. “They are herd animals, family-oriented, and that’s one of the reasons they have stink glands—to mark those family units within the pack. They defend their own. If one of them is attacked, the others will turn on the attacker, even if it’s a mountain lion. They have a poor sense of sight but a keen sense of smell, and, of course, they’re traveling at night. They are a hoofed animal; they can go up amazing rock formations and cliffs. They have really tough mouths so they can eat prickly pear cacti for nourishment—and that’s oh so impressive to me. They are adaptive to the landscape and very much survivors. They are so common to Sedona, and I love Sedona so much, so it just kind of fits for me. It’s a happy feeling to me that both I and they are attached to this area.”
In a small informal poll on the Sedona Nextdoor community forum, 71 residents responded to the question: “What do you think of javelinas?”
36 people (42%) said, “They’re so cool. Sedona needs even more javelina art.”
20 people (23%) said, “I hate javelinas. They’re messing with my quality of life.”
15 people (17%) said they can take them or leave them.
15 people (17%) admitted to having fed them in the past but have since stopped.
Across cultures, animals often straddle the line between nuisance and reverence. In Hindu traditions, many creatures are seen as embodiments of divine energy. As Sedona continues its dialogue about coexistence with its resident peccaries, one question endures: are javelinas pests, neighbors—or the next chapter in Sedona’s evolving relationship with the wild?
Photo credits- Tara Golden
