{"id":22125,"date":"2025-10-16T11:53:30","date_gmt":"2025-10-16T18:53:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.azgfd.com\/?p=22125"},"modified":"2025-10-16T11:56:11","modified_gmt":"2025-10-16T18:56:11","slug":"halloween-decorations-may-attract-wildlife","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.azgfd.com\/2025\/10\/16\/halloween-decorations-may-attract-wildlife\/","title":{"rendered":"Halloween decorations may attract wildlife"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

NEWS RELEASE<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Oct. 16, 2025<\/p>\n\n\n\n

PHOENIX \u2014 Halloween will soon be here, and carved pumpkins sitting outside may attract unwanted trick-or-treaters looking for an easy meal. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Habituating wildlife to human food sources can lead to property damage and potential conflicts that could result in serious injuries to people or pets. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cA ripened pumpkin sitting outdoors is like candy for javelinas,\u201d said Darren Julian, urban wildlife specialist for the Arizona Game and Fish Department. \u201cPumpkins and other edible decorations are easy meals for wildlife and often attract javelinas, coyotes, deer, and even bears.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It is recommended that jack-o-lanterns, uncarved pumpkins and cornucopias be displayed indoors on window sills, so they can be seen from outside if desired, then discarded securely to help prevent encounters with foraging wildlife. If edible decorations must be displayed outdoors, place them high off the ground where they cannot be reached by wildlife. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Additionally, the public is reminded that it is illegal under state law (A.R.S. 13-2927) to knowingly feed wildlife in Pima, Maricopa and Pinal counties, with the exception of birds as well as tree squirrels, which are rare at lower elevations. Intentionally feeding wildlife is a crime, as it can create a public safety hazard when wildlife are unable to find the meal they\u2019re seeking.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

For more tips on minimizing wildlife conflicts, visit www.azgfd.gov\/urbanwildlife<\/strong><\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Edible decorations like pumpkins can become easy “treats” for javelinas, coyotes, deer, even bears. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":18,"featured_media":22126,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[92],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-22125","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-main-site"],"yoast_head":"\nHalloween decorations may attract wildlife - Arizona Game & Fish Department<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.azgfd.com\/2025\/10\/16\/halloween-decorations-may-attract-wildlife\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Halloween decorations may attract wildlife - Arizona Game & Fish Department\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Edible decorations like pumpkins can become easy "treats" for javelinas, coyotes, deer, even bears.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.azgfd.com\/2025\/10\/16\/halloween-decorations-may-attract-wildlife\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Arizona Game & Fish Department\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2025-10-16T18:53:30+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2025-10-16T18:56:11+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/azgfd-portal-wordpress-pantheon.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/16114828\/Javelinas_pumpkin-360-1.png\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"500\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"500\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/png\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"dhajek\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"dhajek\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"1 minute\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.azgfd.com\/2025\/10\/16\/halloween-decorations-may-attract-wildlife\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.azgfd.com\/2025\/10\/16\/halloween-decorations-may-attract-wildlife\/\",\"name\":\"Halloween decorations may attract wildlife - 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