Awwwww…..

“What is this?” you may wonder, if you don’t live in Arizona.

If you do live here, you know all too well that this is a baby javelina (not a pig, but a collared peccary). The photo below will give you an idea of the size of the baby.

There is a steep hill covered with rocks above the retaining wall behind our patio, and it is usually down this slope that javelinas enter our yard. One side of the backyard has a gate (usually open) leading to the front yard, and the other side is ungated. We tend to leave the gate open, knowing that wildlife (mostly deer, coyotes, and javelinas) may be passing through. Normally the occasional group of javelinas come down the hill and walk around the house to the front, where they then head up neighbors’ driveways to the open areas behind the houses.

This morning, I looked out back and saw a mother javelina standing on the patio, calmly nursing her two offspring. The larger of the juveniles looked like a smaller version of its mother, but the smaller javelina was tiny and still had its umbilical cord attached! I took some iPhone videos and then grabbed my big camera to take a few quick photos through the glass door and screen. After nursing was over, the two larger javelinas then jumped up on the retaining wall, leaving the new baby behind. Realizing its plight, mama javelina jumped back down, and this behavior continued for about a half hour. Then suddenly a dog appeared at the top of the hill, barking at the javelinas, who then started squealing. I finally realized the gate must have blown shut and dashed outside to timidly open it, after first peeking through to make sure the javelinas weren’t right by it. In no time, the javelinas went through the gate and headed up a neighbor’s driveway. Drama over.