Arizona wildlife officials are asking residents to keep real pumpkins off the porch this Halloween.
The Arizona Game and Fish Department says pumpkins, gourds and other fall decorations left outside can draw wildlife into neighborhoods, including javelinas, coyotes, deer and bears. Officials have also named mountain lions as a possibility. “A ripened pumpkin sitting outdoors is like candy for javelinas,” said urban wildlife specialist Darren Julian. Department spokesman Mark Hart said officials don’t want to be “the Grinch that stole Halloween,” but do want to avoid problems for people, pets and animals.
The department’s recommendations:
Use artificial pumpkins for outdoor displays.
Keep real pumpkins and other edible decorations indoors, such as in a window where they can still be seen from outside.
If they have to go outside, keep them high off the ground where wildlife can’t reach them.
Dispose of them securely afterward so animals can’t get into the trash.
Hart said wildlife us...