WILDLIFE NEWS OF THE DAY - 062509

A tale of heroic dogs who faced off against a cougar in Oregon's wilderness is recounted by our first wildlife story today; followed by one in which residents of Dunsmuir in Northern California reported a cougar in the neighborhood yesterday. A Central California town was visited by a cougar who killed a deer; and a cougar was reported yesterday in Napa County as well. A couple of stories from Down Under: taking its place alongside an oral rabies vaccine, an oral tuberculosis vaccine for possums has been developed in New Zealand; but this next article about wallabies in Australia could give you a new perspective on the cause of mysterious crop circles! A Canadian study on coyotes postulates that an attraction to human garbage could be desensitizing them to people; while residents of Cincinnati, Ohio, are complaining about coyotes howling in the suburbs. Residents of Orange County, Florida, are reporting more coyote sightings than in the past. Rhode Island has seen an uptick in the deer tick population of 54%; followed by the story about a man who was hospitalized after having a deer, which was hit by another car, come crashing through his windshield near Potsdam, New York. Two people were injured in an SUV crash resulting from a deer in a Tennessee road; while another case of a helmetless motorcyclist hitting a deer, this time in Indiana, has put the driver in the hospital with serious head injuries. A look at deer hunting restrictions in New York's Catskills is provided in the next item. The mother of a bear cub hit by a motorist in Wisconsin is under observation by wildlife officials; and a number of sightings of black bears in New York's Hudson Valley region have produced a collection of photos as well. Reports of a yearling bear cub, probably just cut loose by its mother, surfaced in a North Carolina community; but another sighting prompted authorities to provide pointers on how to deal with bears in that state. One Indiana town is grappling with a raccoon infestation; while a battle of wits between man and raccoon is being waged in Madison, Wisconsin; and an Ontario, Canada, woman is outraged that eight baby raccoons she turned over to wildlife authorities were euthanized. And finally, be careful how you shoo wildlife away - tossing fireworks at them is not a good choice, as a resident of Washington state found out!

Hero dogs ... save couple in cougar attack

Dunsmuir man reports presence of mountain lion

Deer killed by lion in southwest Morgan Hill

Mountain lion sighted in Carneros

Oral TB vaccine for possums created

Stoned wallabies make Australian crop circles

Consuming human garbage could lead to bolder coyotes: study

Coyote presence unnerves some Ohio residents, especially when the animals howl

Coyote Sightings Becoming More Frequent

RI's deer tick population explodes

NY man hurt when deer smashes through windshield

2 injured after deer causes wreck

Harley rider badly hurt after deer hit on I-469

Deer hunters suffer reversal of fortune

Bear Hit and Killed by Car Along Highway 52 in Wausau

READER PHOTOS: New bear sightings around the Hudson Valley region

Black bear cub roams in Belvedere

Family spots black bear in back yard

Town has raccoon problems

Moe: A friend fights raccoon droppings with a product all his own

Eight raccoons destroyed after being removed from Cameron home

Woman Chasing Raccoon Sets Off Brush Fire