WILDLIFE NEWS OF THE DAY - 071009

Our first wildlife article was submitted by Sam Gowen of the Orange County Register about a black-crowned night heron that was caught in a tree in Fullerton, California; but a Colorado family has some unexpected expenses ahead, as expensive rabies shots have to be administered after a rabid bat got into their house. Families with children at a Texas summer camp were upset about a teenage counselor killing a possum and her babies with an axe. An outdoorsman provides some insight into hunting dog encounters with rattlesnakes, something which results in 150,000 snakebites annually. A pair of Virginia residents came out the worse for a collision between their ATV and a deer; while a nursing doe that was rescued from a mud pit in Minnesota was too badly traumatized by the experience and had to be euthanized. A black bear has been seen wandering through an Ohio town; but a bear's shooting in Alaska has spurred a debate about proper garbage storage. A sow and two cubs are causing a ruckus in an Ontario, Canada, community as they hunt for food. The trials and tribulations of a Salem, Massachusetts, family that took in a young raccoon provide a perfect example of why not to adopt wildlife; and an aggressive raccoon, apparently protecting family members, kept a pair of youths trapped in a swimming pool in Pennsylvania. The president of the Eastern Cougar Foundation debunks some misconceptions about cougars in Maine; while a trio of cougar cubs who were separated from their aggressive mother, have been taken to a zoo in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan. A cougar sighting in San Mateo County, California, has residents on edge. And finally, motorists in New Brunswick, Canada, had a skunk with its head stuck in a cup to contend with!

Endangered bird rescued after snagged in tree

Rabid bat found in Morgan

Parents upset after camp counselor kills possums with ax in front of kids

Time to protect our dogs from snakes

1 dead, 1 hurt in Chesterfield when ATV hits deer

Deer rescued from mud can't be saved

Bear spotted in Chillicothe

Bear shot in Muldoon

Aggressive bear prowls west end

Salem family's 'pet' raccoon bites child

Raccoon keeps kids from getting out of pool

Myths, misconceptions about mountain lions

Three new cougar kittens come to the Saskatoon zoo

Possible mountain lion sighting reported near Woodside

Skunk Crossing