WILDLIFE NEWS OF THE DAY - 042709

Not all donations for Australian bushfire relief come in the millions of dollars, but one group in the UK is doing their bit nonetheless; while an Army base in Seneca, New York, is host to a herd of white deer, ospreys, and other wildlife. With South Carolina firefighters reporting encounters with bears and snakes, wildlife officials say that animals will continue fleeing the fires, but of course the question that remains is: where will they live and eat after the blazes are out? Wildlife authorities in the UK are running tests on a golden eagle found dead in Scotland to determine if it died of natural causes; and a rare Lapland Owl, found in a ditch sporting a broken wing, is being rehabilitated at a wildlife shelter in Sweden and will be released into the wild when fully healed. The Wisconsin Division of Health has confirmed that much of the state hosts deer ticks with Lyme disease; but Gibson Island, Maryland, is taking an aggressive approach to reducing the tick population on local deer. A Washington Post article discusses how well deer are doing on the Eastern Seaboard; and, while you've probably heard of carjacking or hijacking, have you ever heard of deer-jacking? Colorado wildlife authorities are formulating detailed plans of dealing with coyotes in communities along the Front Range; and an article from West Virginia chronicles the worrisome trend of more aggressive coyotes in that state. Amid controversy and potential lawsuits from animal rights groups, Michigan is dropping endangered species' protection for its gray wolf population. A Colorado wildlife official rebuts the premise that a cougar mauled a llama in an Op-Ed piece. The government of Pakistan is creating a wildlife preserve for deer in their country; something their neighbor India might want to consider, since Indian deer are dying off in some areas due to a lack of water. A Michigan deer ricocheted off one motorcyclist into another. Sounding like the lead-in to a bad joke, this next item, from Minnesota, could begin with 'A deer walked into a bar...' Some suggestions from San Marcos, Texas, for repelling deer from garden foliage are provided in the next article. Australians can empathize with Americans as kangaroo-car collisions mirror deer-car collisions in the US. A webcam provided a video record of the birth and adventures of an endangered baby Brazilian Tapir in a Bristol, UK, zoo. Japanese researchers have found that raccoons can detoxify their food by rubbing it on the ground, as the next article details. In an update on an article from last week's Wildlife NOTD, the police in Colorado Springs, Colorado, are debating what to do about an incident in which a pregnant woman was struck by a car while fleeing a bear. And finally, a naturalist in Montana had what some would say was a 'unique' best man at his wedding!

Pet show raises cash for animals injured in bush fires

Wildlife watchers will see smaller white deer

In the midst of wildfire, what happens to wildlife?

Tests run on dead golden eagle

Rare owl convalescing in southern Sweden

More WI areas prone to deer tick and Lyme disease

Population is tick-ing

Deer Heaven: How the Animals Are Flourishing in Suburbia

Addison County men plead guilty to deer-jacking

Louisville, Lafayette create coyote management plans

Club official: Migrating coyotes ‘getting bolder’

Michigan removes wolves from endangered list

Evidence doesn’t support a mountain lion attack on llama

CDA setting up natural habitat for black bucks, hog deer

Spotted deer dies of water scarcity

Two Motorcyclists Hit the Same Deer

The Beer Deer

Ideas for keeping your landscape deer-free

Drivers hopping mad over repairs

Brazilian Tapir Striped Like A Skunk Born At Noah's Ark Zoo Farm

'Washing bear' a hygiene-conscious eater

CSPD Considering Charges Against Driver In Pregnant Woman/Bear Case

Living With Brutus, the 800-Pound Bear