WILDLIFE NEWS OF THE DAY - 062309

An ancient elephant fossil discovered in Java, Indonesia, is being painstakingly reconstructed, in our first wildlife story today. Red pandas in a North Dakota zoo have produced triplets, helping to boost the dwindling population of this rare animal; while a sea lion pup who became stranded in the center divider of a San Francisco, California, freeway caused quite a stir. As Japan and others lobby hard for a resumption of commercial whaling, the commission charged with protecting these animals faces the prospect of a split within the ranks; but a timer has been developed to help prevent sea turtles from drowning when they get entangled in fishing trawler nets. A decided up-tick in rabies cases has Nebraska officials concerned. Residents of Daytona Beach, Florida, are reporting a young black bear in the neighborhood; while a black bear caught by wildlife officials in a New Mexico town was repatriated in Gila National Forest. A Florida golfer, familiar with birdies and bogies, was not quite prepared for a bear-ie on the course! A little background material on Wisconsin's black bears is provided in an article about one's excursion into a mobile home park; and Bristol, Connecticut, has another furry invader raiding local bird-feeders. A conservation officer in Prince George, British Columbia, had the unusual experience of administering CPR to a bear. Residents of an Ohio town have to pick their mail up at the Post Office now due to an overly-protective hawk. A look at Minnesota's bald eagle population is provided by the next item; while Vermont is welcoming back some long-absent raptors. An Op-Ed piece from Michigan applauds the cautious approach towards deer herd management of one community. A look at Minnesota's bovine tuberculosis in the deer population is the topic of the next item; followed by a story about how Whitetails Unlimited is on the offensive in the cases of snowmobilers who ran down deer in North Dakota. A resident of British Columbia was convicted of poaching a deer in 2007. Taking a lead from the Germans, Cal Trans will begin installing a deer warning system on a particularly deadly stretch of road in Northern California; but North Dakota has decided to ditch their deer crossing signs as being irrelevant. A New South Wales, Australia, community, still on edge after a shooting incident the week before, was relieved to find out that this time it was just a deer hunter. A storm of protests from hunters and others has killed a proposal for Monmouth County employees to cull deer in New Jersey. The city council of Colorado Springs, Colorado, has decided against issuing coyote depredation permits. Use of the controversial 1080 poison by officials in New Zealand to control the exploding possum population is still hotly debated. A five-step procedure for dealing with a skunk-sprayed pet is up next. And finally, here's something you don't see every day - a live piece of alligator luggage!

Indonesian elephant fossil opens window to past

Red panda at ND zoo has rare set of triplets

Sea lion wanders onto San Francisco area freeway

Whaling commission faced with quotas schism

New net timer could save sea turtles from drowning

Nebraska sees spike in rabies cases

Black Bear Hangs Around Daytona Beach Target

Game and Fish officials capture black bear, release it in Gila

Bear Aware: 3 black bear sightings in Wellington

There's a bear in Baraboo: Animal wanders into neighborhood

Another bear sighting, another warning

HL:Conservation officer in B.C. gives bear CPR after tranquilizer

Family of hawks halts mail delivery in Liberty

As eagle population soars, so do conflicts with humans

Bald eagle makes comeback in Vermont

Editorial: City should move slowly on culling deer

Another deer with bovine TB doesn’t concern ag officials

Conservation group calls for tougher laws after deer slaughtering case

Man convicted for shooting a deer dead

Deer warning system will be installed near Fort Jones

Deer crossing signs to come down to save money

Oh deer, shots shake Port Macquarie again

Employee-only deer hunt rejected

Springs council shoots down proposal to issue coyote-killing permits

Opponents of 1080 drop unmoved

Five things to do if your pet is sprayed by a skunk

Live alligator found in bag on train in Norway