WILDLIFE NEWS OF THE DAY - 091209

Raptor enthusiasts in Texas are in their glory as flocks of hawks, sometimes 500-1,000 in number, soar overhead in their annual fall migration, our first wildlife story today. Wildlife officials in Nevada have determined that a hunter who was after grouse, but ended up bagging a cougar instead, was justified in shooting the animal; and Nebraska's cougar policy is laid out in the next item. A new wildlife biologist in North Dakota has the task of keeping track of that state's cougar population; while an Illinois jogger believes she spotted a cougar in a municipal park about a week ago, although wildlife officials are skeptical due to the lack of cougar sightings in that state. Nebraska deer hunters have been asked to keep an eye out for bovine tuberculosis in deer that they shoot; but due to an overabundance of rain earlier this year, elk and deer may be hard to find in Montana due to scattered numbers amongst ample feed; while in West Texas, they're gearing up for a hunter's bounty of venison for needy families. The Indian Veterinary Research Institute is investigating the deaths of over a dozen deer at a zoo; but deer hunters in Mississippi will be culling the herd to cut down on the destruction of vegetation in communities there. A legally blind woman in Michigan bagged her first bear (with a little help from her boyfriend); while a black bear that came calling in a New Jersey borough last Saturday ended up being returned to the wild. More details on a recent bear attack in Aspen, Colorado, are provided by the next article; and another bear-human encounter in India's Kashmir has resulted in a man being hospitalized. And finally, the U.S. Army is considering a risky maneuver in the California desert: relocating tortoises!

Migrating hawks take flights of fancy

Mountain lion killed by startled hunter

Commission Has Reminders of Mountain Lion Policy

New furbearer biologist joins Game and Fish

Jogger claims to spot cougar in Wheaton park

Deer Hunters Asked to Watch for Signs of TB

Elusive Elk and Deer

West Texas Food Bank to Begin Receiving Deer Meat Donations

14 deer die at Kanpur zoo in one night

Oxford allows bow hunting for pesky deer

Legally blind Mich. hunter gets black bear

Bear caught in downtown Washington Borough

Aspen bear attack came at dinner

One attacked, injured by bear in Kashmir

Army to move forward with tortoise relocation