WILDLIFE NEWS OF THE DAY - 062609

A debate over how a horse was killed in Georgia is first up in wildlife news today; followed by an in-depth review of felines in Georgia. An Oregon teen had a close encounter of the cougar kind on a trail. The battle between fishermen and increasingly aggressive dolphins is worsening off the Florida coast. The wildlife sanctuary at Healesville in Victoria, Australia, is putting on a special bushfire program where visitors can talk with some of the heroic vets who dealt with overwhelming numbers of burned wildlife following the Black Saturday bushfires. A black bear that visited a Denver, Colorado, suburb was tranquilized and returned to the wild today; but one in Tennessee wasn't so fortunate. A popular bike trail in Alaska reopened after brown bear activity in the vicinity declined; and talk about a bear of a procedure: a Malayan Sun Bear at a Florida zoo needed a root canal! A black bear that had been treed in a Colorado town was tranquilized and relocated; and here's something you don't often see: bear chases boat! Florida Fish and Wildlife officials released a wayward black bear back into the wildlands of Northern Florida; but an Oregon woman who created a nuisance by feeding bears on her property has been told by the court that she has to move. A comparison of raccoons' lifestyle around people versus in the wild is up next. Good Samaritans, trying to help orphaned and injured wildlife, run the risk of exposure to rabies, as the next story from New York shows; while a pair of rabid raccoons were identified in Greenbrier County, West Virginia. With 19 confirmed rabies cases in Montana, a quarantine for Yellowstone County has been extended; and North Carolina has the dubious honor of being ranked among the top five states in the US for rabies cases among wildlife. Debate over the toxicity of venison from deer taken at an ammunition plant continues in Wisconsin; and pieces of a side-view mirror struck a man after his car collided with a deer. An amazing story of the birth of a fawn after the doe was struck by a truck in South Carolina is conveyed by the next article; but a California town is having a brisk debate over deer hunting in the area; and the debate over what to do with a deer is underway in Pakistan. The coyote population is increasing in one Massachusetts community; an Op-Ed piece from Denver waxes philosophically about coyotes in a Colorado neighborhood; but residents of an Ohio community are worried about an influx of coyotes into their area. The battle over Canadian geese droppings in a Maine park is causing a stink; while Wisconsin's success story in regards to bald eagle repopulation is explored in the next article. And finally, Ty Bonnar of Flexible Alternatives sent along a story about a flaming hawk in Ventura County, California, who had struck a power line, starting a small wildfire.

Did a lion kill a horse? Experts say it’s unlikely

Kammermeyer: Is there really a lion roaming in North Hall?

Teen reports cougar sighting on NE Bend trail

Make my day, Flipper: Pesky dolphins under siege

Learn About Handling Animal Emergencies This Summer at Healesville Sanctuary

Highlands Ranch Bear Tranquilized, Removed

TWRA Kills Bear in Dunlap

Girdwood bike trail reopens after bear activity subsides

Metrozoo bear gets root canal

DOW Tranquilizes Bear in Tree at Kelly Johnson and Academy Blvd.

Rangers not fazed by Lopez Lake bear scare

Elusive Wellington black bear released to new home

Convicted Bear Feeder Learns Sentence

Raccoons are all too good at living near human beings

First area rabies case of year confirmed in Arkwright

Rabid raccoons found in Greenbrier County

County officials extend rabies quarantine

N.C. is among top 5 in rabies

Are deer shot at Badger ammo plant safe to eat?

Rome man injured in accident with deer

The Deer Who Was Never Born - Lives

More study needed for deer plans

Hog deer caught in Ravi

Coyotes multiplying

Johnson: Howling at hazing of coyotes

Coyotes Causing Concerns

Litchfield geese gain reprieve on northern relocation

Bald eagle sightings soaring

Small brush fire contained in Ventura County