WILDLIFE NEWS OF THE DAY - 060309

A call for help in identifying a dog bitten by a coyote in Orange County, California, went out from Sam Gowen at the Orange County Register, in our first wildlife story today; but one Colorado community that employed sharpshooters to eliminate a pack of coyotes has seen an abatement of attacks on humans, although pets continue to disappear. A cougar was reported in a Pennsylvania township; however, Virginia wildlife officials dismissed a photo of what appeared to be a cougar, but the debate with locals continues; even as a cougar sighting near a school in Pleasanton, California, has authorities on the lookout. As deer-auto collisions spike this month in Wisconsin, some pointers about avoiding the problem are provided; and the dangers of 'helping' deer is underscored by an article from British Columbia, Canada. Some pointers for keeping deer out of vegetable gardens is provided by an article from San Luis Obispo, California; but nuisance deer may be in the crosshairs as Sheboygan, Wisconsin, debates the merits of having police sharpshooters cull the herd. An update on bald eagles in California, currently at about 200 nesting pairs, is provided next; while a juvenile red-tailed hawk apparently collided with a car in downtown Portland, Oregon, and was taken to an Audubon rehab facility for treatment. An elderly Asiatic bear in an Indiana zoo was recently euthanized at the ripe old age of 32 (they generally only live 25 years in the wild); and a black bear who came to town in Ontario, Canada, was peacefully removed to the wild. Some background material on black bears in North Carolina is provided in the next item; followed by a story about a Wausau, Wisconsin, school that had an ursine visitor, much to the delight of school kids and onlookers alike. An Oregon woman who was arrested for causing a nuisance in her area by feeding bears could go to jail for up to a year. And finally, in a bizarre tale, an endangered humpback whale was speared by the bow of an oil tanker and dragged into harbor in Alaska.

Missing a dog? Bichon mix on death row after coyote attack

Attacks on humans cease since five coyotes shot at Broomfield County Commons

Report: Mountain lion seen in Whitehall

Game department says alleged Isle of Wight cougar picture is not one

Mountain lion sighting reported near Pleasanton school

Keep your eyes peeled: Deer-vehicle collisions spike in June

Helping could actually hurt deer

Tips for keeping deer out of the vegetable plot

Police may be called on to control deer herds

Rare bald eagle sighting in Scotts Valley

Raptor Cam hawk hit by car in downtown Portland

Potawatomi Zoo’s Asiatic bear dies

Officials safely remove black bear from Aurora

Are we likely to find bears in N.C.?

Bear in tree shakes up Wausau

Woman who fed bears guilty on one count, acquitted on others

Humpback whale struck, lodged on bow of oil tanker