TUCSON, Ariz. -- The Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum has reopened after closing for a day as authorities searched for a wild javelina that bit a visitor.

Museum officials said the javelina wandered onto the museum grounds, which is located outside of Tucson in southern Arizona.

They closed the museum Saturday after the animal bit a 45-year-old tourist from Holland. The man thought the javelina was part of an exhibit and approached it, said Craig Ivanji of the Desert Museum.

"It's one of those situations that doesn't happen very often but the animal must have felt threatened and responded in an extremely defensive fashion," Ivanji said.

The man was wounded on his right calf and hand.

Javelinas can weigh up to 60 pounds and are common in the American Southwest, as well as Mexico and South America. Though they resemble wild pigs, javelinas actually come from a different family of animal.

Over the weekend, museum workers and staff from the Arizona Game and Fish Department searched for the one that attacked the tourist. When they catch it, they'll check the javelina for rabies.

The animal is still on the loose. Officials said it's possible the javelina left the grounds.

"We live in a natural desert area and we're surrounded by desert so animals get in periodically, even though we have an 8-foot perimeter fence around the property," Ivanji said.

They reopened the museum Sunday.

Signs advising visitors not to touch wildlife are already posted but after the attack, handouts will be published emphasizing the concern.

"You don't expect an animal to do something like this and certainly wouldn't expect it to interact again, but we're just doing everything we can to keep everybody safe," Ivanji said.

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