nnnnnnn
A hiker was attacked by a wild animal in southern Arizona on Sunday, officials said.

The Cochise County Sheriff's Office said a man who was hiking in Ash Canyon, south of Sierra Vista, reported he was attacked by an animal on Sunday.

After hiking in the area, the man told authorities he returned to his vehicle and found a coatimundi on the hood of his vehicle. The man shouted and waved his arms at the animal in an attempt to get the coatimundi to leave.

The coatimundi then tore off a windshield wiper before jumping down and attacking the man, the hiker told authorities.

The man was able to get inside his vehicle, but not before the animal scratched and bit him. The man is receiving the rabies vaccine at a local hospital as a precaution, authorities said.

The coatimundi, however, has not been located. Authorities said a USDA wildlife specialist responded to the area and could not find the animal. The specialist will return in the evening or early morning to search again, authorities said.

Authorities said the coatimundi will be tested for rabies when it is found.

A coatimundi is a member of the raccoon family, according to Arizona State Parks. The white-nosed coatis in Arizona are about the size of a small dog, approximately 18 pounds, and can be identified by their long snouts — like a "stretched out and more slender version of a raccoon."

They travel in "troops," and when they walk, their semi-prehensile tails often loom above them, looking similar to a periscope, Arizona State Parks said in an article on coatimundis.

The sheriff's office encourages people spending time in rural or mountainous areas to be aware of their surroundings and not to engage any wild animals.

Source: KPNX-TV Phoenix