WILDLIFE NEWS OF THE DAY - 032809

Wildlife News Of The Day leads off with the story of a family in San Diego County, California, that lost a pet goat to a cougar; and a resident of an Arizona community was not believed when she first reported seeing a cougar on her property. Public Safety Officers in a California community are passing out over 1,000 flyers warning residents about cougars in the area; while a pair of cougars being kept on a Florida homeowner's property were moved to better quarters. Farmers in Arkansas have suffered substantial losses to their cattle from what they believe to be a cougar; but perhaps some of these cats should be transported to Virginia, where a lack of predators and hunting has caused a deer population's numbers to increase until they have become a problem for residents; or to Michigan, where devastation is being wreaked on vegetation by deer overpopulation. An Iowa man discusses his passion with eagles and his very popular 'eagle-cam'; and Vermont wildlife officials have gone to great lengths to help bald eagles reestablish themselves in that state after a 50-year absence. As Swainson's Hawks migrate north from Central America, raptor lovers were having a field day in Borrego Springs, California. Veterinarians in Australia recall the difficulties in treating seriously burned bushfire victims; but some sage advice about how people with pets can prepare for wildfires in California (and, presumably, elsewhere) is provided in the next article. North Carolina residents had to fight off an aggressive raccoon who was trying to drag their pet into the woods; while a report from New Mexico talks about their fight against rabid wildlife there. A family from Illinois recounts the harrowing tale of the havoc wrought by an excavating skunk under their house. A Florida bear who had been caught raiding a hen house has been released into the wild far away from the chicken coop; but a Korean national was arrested in California for possession of bile harvested from moon bears in Asia and faces up to 20 years in prison. An endangered gray wolf may have been illegally killed in Washington state, a crime that carries a maximum penalty of $100,000 plus a year in prison; while a world-class pianist discusses her work with wolves at a 27-acre preserve in New York state. The second installment on the legality of shooting coyotes in Colorado is presented next. And finally, a pair of fake coyotes used to scare off geese had more success scaring people!

WINE COUNTRY: Mountain lion kills goat in Wine Country

Caledonia woman reports cougar sighting

Flyers in response to rising cougar sightings to be distributed

Mountain lion pets given new home

Mountain lion or myth?

Town continues deer culling program

Deer herds could devastate Oakland County's landscape

Bald eagle 'nest cam': Grab your popcorn and watch the show

Outside Story: Vermont offers hand, yet eagles come on their own

Reveling in raptors

Vets assemble to end animals' pain

Lamorinda DART Urges Wildfire Preparation for Pets (and People...)

Tangle with Dusty ends badly for raccoon

Coyote in Grant County found to have rabies

Skunk's stink leaves a trail of woe

Well-Fed Bear Released Back Into Wild

Woman accused of illegally importing bear bile

Officers look into gray wolf killing in Eastern WA

Running With Wolves? No; Playing Piano for Them, Yes

Legality of coyote hunt, alternatives - Part 2

Cardboard coyote frightened jogger, brought police