WILDLIFE NEWS OF THE DAY - 051509

First up in wildlife news today, a success story from Australia, where five wallabies that were injured in the Black Saturday bushfires are going back into the wild; followed by a story about a pair of rare red pandas on display at a zoo in Iowa in hopes of breeding them to bolster their numbers. A black bear was seen near a high school in Minnesota; while, in yet another Southern California bear sighting, one was spotted in the high desert town of Quartz Hill, where it played hide-and-seek with sheriffs deputies for a bit; followed by still another from Montecito, no doubt due to the wildfire that burned in neighboring Santa Barbara. A Massachusetts town had a furry tree-sitter in its midst; but a Swedish fisherman apparently hooked something a little too big to be reeled in: a bear! A Pennsylvania beagle that was harassing a pair of black bear cubs got more than she bargained for when mama showed up! A black bear was seen near a Virginia residential area; and Utah wildlife officials offer some advice to prevent hungry bruins from intruding on residents. Pennsylvania wildlife officials have released a young bald eagle that was raised in a zoo back into the wild; followed by some background info on Cooper's Hawks (aka Chicken Hawks) in the next item from Colorado. People had gathered at a bird-watching festival in Alaska, only to have the guest of honor trounced upon by an eagle! A deer with bovine tuberculosis was discovered in northern Minnesota; and Louisiana wildlife officials, like their counterparts in other states, are reminding people not to handle newborn fawns (which is actually a crime in that state). The Maryland Food Bank received a windfall of over a ton of venison from deer hunters. Yesterday it was urban coyotes and urban deer, today it's urban raccoons, which are multiplying in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, as is the threat from rabies. Montana's Fish, Wildlife and Parks officials are wary of lawsuits as they proceed in creating gray wolf hunt quotas. A pair of aggressive coyotes frequenting a Colorado city are firmly in the crosshairs of animal control officers. A young cougar was spotted in a British Columbia, Canada, town; but a big cat in Santa Paula, California, is not sticking to prototypical cougar behavior. Residents of a Saskatchewan, Canada, community have reported what appears to be a cougar prowling around the edge of town. And finally, police tasered a cougar in Lansing, Michigan, right in the stuffing!

Fire-hit wallabies going back to bush

Blank Park Zoo Receives Pandas That Are Neither Bears or Raccoons

Black Bear Spotted Near Anoka High School

Bear captured in Quartz Hill neighborhood

Black Bear Romping Through Montecito Backyards

Black bear hangs out in Westfield

Pilot spots bear in trouble

Pa. beagle recovers from mother bear attack

Bear Spotted In Chesterfield Neighborhood

DWR offers tips for seasonal bear safety

Baby bald eagle gets lift to secret site in Bucks

Cooper's Hawks Sitting on Nest

Eagle kills crane at bird festival event

DNR detects TB-positive deer in northwest Minnesota

LDWF issues reminder to leave young deer alone

Loch Raven deer hunt yields bounty for Md. Food Bank

Finally, Philly's population is growing - from raccoons!

MT FWP weighs wolf hunt quotas

Coyotes facing death sentence

Cougar sighted near Interurban Road

Oaks mountain lion sighting breaks rules of animals’ inherent behavior

Cougar sighting on outskirts of town

Warren police shock cougar — a toy one — with Taser