WILDLIFE NEWS OF THE DAY - 041509

A rash of livestock and deer deaths is being investigated in South Dakota in our first wildlife story today; followed by one for those interested in getting a little exercise, as wildlife officers in Wyoming are recruiting volunteers to help tabulate deer data. As hard economic times hit home, Iowa deer hunters have provided over one million servings of venison to needy families; followed by some musings on pronghorn antelope by a resident of Arizona. South Dakota Department of Transportation has been running a two-year-long experiment with reflectors in an attempt to reduce deer kills on a major highway; something Alabama wildlife officials might consider after a motorist came out the worse for wear from a close encounter with a deer. Wrangling over the controversial 'Earn-A-Buck' program continues in Wisconsin with the defeat of an alternative plan. A deer hunter got more than he bargained for when a trio of bears attacked him on Alaska's Kodiak Island. Due to increasing incursions of bears into Anchorage, Alaska, the city has hired a bear cop to address the situation; which has gone from bad to worse, as the next article demonstrates. A warning went out from Royal Canadian Mounted Police about an injured polar bear outside the Canadian town of St. John's. In another example of predators following prey, a study from Washington State shows that cougars were attracted to game (no surprise there), but not people. A discussion of cougars in North Dakota is provided in the next item; but, still unconfirmed, the sighting Sunday of a cougar in a Chicago suburb continues to make the news. Another commentary on why gray wolves should not be delisted: coyote population suppression; and, with 17 lambs killed and a pair injured at a ranch in eastern Oregon, ranchers fear a gray wolf may be involved. The hunt is on for wolves in Oregon, but with a more benign purpose; and an expert on coyotes is doing an encore presentation for residents of a Colorado community beset by coyotes. A resident of a New York State community was bitten by a coyote Monday evening; while a school outside of New Orleans, Louisiana, had an unwelcome guest on the playground; and a coyote, one of hundreds estimated to live in Portland, Oregon, is caught on video in the next item. With an estimated 80,000 saltwater crocodiles in one Australian state, authorities are expanding egg harvests to limit their numbers in the aftermath of recent attacks on humans. Bald eagles are making a resurgence in Georgia with over 120 occupied nests reported. And finally, the plot thickens in York, Maine, where a mysterious skunk cutout, first mentioned in Wildlife NOTD 4/1, has reappeared.

Ticks tied to reports of cattle and deer deaths south of Interior

Volunteers needed for deer mortality surveys

Iowa Deer Hunters Share Harvest With Needy

Who's that playing with the deer?

Results of deer reflectors inconclusive so far

Motorist hurt trying to avoid deer in St. Clair County

WI deer herd: No support for earn-a-buck alternative

Montana deer hunter rescued after attack by Kodiak bears

Anchorage Assembly approves hiring bear officer

17 bears killed in Anchorage this year

Injured polar bear on N.L. roadside attracting a crowd, prompts warnings

Study tracks where cougars roam in WA

What others think: Let’s learn more about the big cats in N.D.

Cougar in suburbs? Resident says yes.

Delist wolves? Not so fast

Killing of lambs ignites wolf concerns

Biologist searches for wolves in Central Oregon

Coyote expert returns to Broomfield for televised presentation

Coyote bites North Tonawanda man

Coyote on playground startles Algiers school

A close encounter of the coyote kind

Australia wants better control of killer crocs

Population of bald eagles beat DNR expectations

York's skunk-sign prankster strikes a second time