WILDLIFE NEWS OF THE DAY - 081809

First up in wildlife news today, Sam Gowen of the Orange County Register sent along an article from San Juan Capistrano about a woman who spotted a family of bobcats in the back yard; while another female cougar has been collared in the Santa Monica Mountains by wildlife biologists who can now track her movements, along with several other big cats. A cougar in British Columbia, Canada, turned on a quartet of tracking dogs, killing one and mauling the three others; and a cougar in Glendale, California, evidently killed a large dog while it slept. Two cougar stories from Washington state today: a cougar has been sighted in Ocean Shores; and another had a fatal collision with an automobile. From now until October 14, raptors in Maine's Acadia national Park will be tabulated. The next item is a very brief listing of 29 new species to be protected by the Endangered Species Act. A study of aging within a population of Scotland's red deer has been completed; followed by an article that showcases the South Plains Wildlife Rehabilitation Center in Texas, particularly their deer population. A possum trapped in a snare was nearly dead when wildlife authorities recovered the animal in a Victoria, Australia, neighborhood. A Michigan neighborhood will have to put up with some stinky neighbors for little while longer because the City Council refused to pass an ordinance that would've removed them from an abandoned house; followed by the misadventures of a Great White Hunter in Missouri who pit his efforts against a family of skunks with predictably stinky results. For once, good climate news for polar bears in Canada! Canadian Wildlife officials in Alberta have identified four more dump-diving bears they may have to shoot; but a black bear in Tennessee really enjoys the self-service apple trees on one property. In a move certain to bring an environmentalist lawsuit, Idaho wildlife officials have approved a wolf hunt in the state. New York town unleashes wolves against pooping geese (okay they're just cutouts)! Wildlife officials are telling residents of Bend, Oregon, that they'd better get used to coyotes in the area because they're there to stay; and residents of Park City, Utah, have made repeated reports of a coyote on the edge of town. Meanwhile, Denmark and Sweden are grappling with an influx of raccoon dogs. And finally, in echoes of the Kurt Russell thriller, 'Escape From New York', an unusually strong raccoon managed to pry his way out of a trap on the roof of City Hall in New York City and nearly made good his getaway!

Bobcat family romps in San Juan Capistrano yard

Third mountain lion collared in Santa Monica Mountains

Cougar kills tracking hound near Alberni

Necropsy shows mountain lion killed pet dog

Cougar Sighting in Ocean Shores

Car, Cougar Collide Near Quilcene

Acadia National Park kicks off HawkWatch

29 species tagged for possible federal protection

Age toll taken on wild red deer

Bambis or not, volunteer cares for 8 fawns

Cruel act

Burton City Council shoots down emergency skunk ordinance

Solving a stinky mess

Summer Sea Ice Good News for Hudson Bay Polar Bears

More bears in crosshairs

Bear spotted helping self to apples in Johnson City

Idaho F&G commissioners approve hunt of 220 wolves

Town uses cutouts of wolves to scare off nuisance geese

SW Bend coyotes getting bolder, residents say

Coyote reportedly seen on edge of Park Meadows

Sweden fears Danish raccoon dogs

'Houdini' raccoon makes an escape at NYC City Hall