WILDLIFE NEWS OF THE DAY - 050809

Wildlife news leads off with the saga of a wildlife rehabilitation facility in Michigan today; followed by four cat stories: a family outside of Denver, Colorado, had a surprise feline visitor at their home; wildlife behavioralists have found interesting new information about cougars from an orphaned trio of cubs; with seven sightings of a possible cougar near an Ontario, Canada, town, the local Humane Society wants confirmation of whether it is indeed a cougar; and South Dakota's Game, Fish and Parks officials, faced with a declining mule deer population, are debating whether to allow more female cougars to be killed. A Washington State man had a surprising encounter with wolves, a sign that a pack is on the move; and a resident of New York City comments on how Wyoming's hunting of gray wolves could impact tourism (his and others). A Michigan resident managed to snap a few shots of a coyote in his back yard; while a coyote in a Colorado park is causing grief for pet owners and hikers. A trio of rabies stories follows: a New Jersey county has recorded its first rabies case of the year; a summary of rabies cases in Colorado is next up; and we conclude with a rabid Pennsylvania skunk that caused some headaches for a woman and her poodle. A small deer trapped on a dam in Iowa is under observation by US Army Corps of Engineers, who are reluctant to rush in due to the death of a deer that spooked during a rescue attempt in 1996 and was swept over that same dam; followed by story about a legal case involving the importing of deer and elk into Kentucky that is being debated in court. A deer is being blamed for a fatal automobile crash in South Carolina; while hunting data once again provides a snapshot of wildlife population density, this time from Fargo, North Dakota. Linking Global Warming to the plight of the polar bear, the Obama administration's decision on the Endangered Species Act this weekend could have a major impact on CO2 emissions; but insider information makes it appear that the Bush Administration's ruling will stand for now. With an increase in black bear encounters in Florida, a meeting is being held to discuss what to do; while Virginia wildlife officials warn residents about foraging bears in their state. An aggressive black bear that was running up to residents and trying to break into houses was shot by police in Kingman, Arizona; and a hungry bear vandalized a bird feeder, then wandered through some yards in Atlanta, Georgia. The aquatic mystery of the basking sharks is revealed in a National Geographic article. And we conclude today with two tales of wildlife from Down Under: an update on the wildlife recovery in the bushfire burn areas of Victoria is chronicled; and baby kangaroos (known as 'joeys') orphaned by the Black Saturday bushfires are being cared for by some wildlife folks.

Volunteers rehabilitate animals in distress

Young Mountain Lion Found In Home's Window Well

New Insight Into Cougar Behavior

Humane society wants proof of cougar

GF&P to consider higher lion kill

Motorist gets up-close glimpse of wolves

Wolves bring in tourist dollars

Wily coyotes invade Grand Haven

Aggressive coyote reported in park

Atlantic County Confirms First Rabies Case

Rabid skunk found in Morgan County

Skunk Attacks Poodle In Dauphin County

DNR contacted about trapped deer

Court rules law banning deer, elk unconstitutional

Driver in fatal crash tried to avoid deer, lawyer says

Fargo's urban deer hunt down

Gov't faces weekend deadline on polar bear rule

AP sources: Gov't sticks with Bush polar bear rule

Lee County meeting to focus on recent bear incidents, shooting suspect still in jail

Spring is here, and so are the bears

Police in Kingman kill black bear running loose in city

New Bear Sighting In Cobb County

Giant Shark Mystery Solved: Unexpected Hideout Found

Paw little koala: Recover in sight for Sam the bushfire survivor

Your morning adorable: Orphaned kangaroo joeys get a helping hand in Australia