WILDLIFE NEWS OF THE DAY - 081509

The amazing story of a Thai elephant getting a leg replacement after stepping on a landmine leads off our Wildlife News Of The Day; while wildlife officials in the UK reflect on the life of a very old golden eagle (estimated to have lived an amazing 22 years!) Native Americans in California are using cutting-edge science to help them reinstate ancient rituals that use condor feathers. Florida homeowners had to have their cat put to sleep after a raccoon that the cat quarreled with turned out to be rabid. An article from New Jersey reiterates the importance not only of not feeding bears deliberately, but of also securing your trash so as not to feed them inadvertently; and a potentially dangerous situation occurred in an Arkansas community, when a mother bear and her cub were separated, and a crowd gathered around the treed cub. A resident of Idaho is fighting to protect a grizzly sow slated for execution by wildlife authorities; but officials are in hot water in Alberta province, Canada, over the shooting of a dozen dump bears. The city of Toronto, Ontario, has given up the hunt for a Canadian coyote that has proved too elusive to be trapped; while many Southern Ontario communities are having problems with increasingly aggressive coyotes, as the next story shows. Canadian ranchers are on edge after losing $168,000 worth of stock to a hybrid coyote/wolf, locally dubbed a "coywolf"; followed by more details on Alaska's aerial wolf hunting, with video, and some links you can use to voice opposition to this practice. A trio of cougar encounters in British Columbia were deadly for the cougars, but fortunately no people were injured; followed by the amazing tale of a big black Lab who held off a pack of cougars who circled his injured owner in Washington state! Massachusetts wildlife officials debate the claim of a resident who claims to have spotted a cougar; but the report of a cougar in Utah is being taken more seriously. A six-legged deer discovered in Georgia last summer has made it into Ripley's Believe It Or Not. And finally, homeowners in a Michigan community have a stinky problem with small residents frequenting a derelict house down the street.

Thai elephant hurt by mine gets artificial leg

'Oldest' golden eagle found dead

Tribal effort to fix broken world hinges on condor

Cat euthanized after fight with rabid raccoon

People in bear country

Mama bear,two cubs visit Jasper

Cd'A man fights to save bear

Bear shootings blasted

Toronto gives up on wily coyote

Coyotes surrounded newspaper carrier

Meet the coywolf

Aerial gunning of Alaska's wolves being challenged in Congress, and you can help.

Three young cougars killed after stalking Princeton residents

89-year-old man stranded; dog fends off cougars

Officials say Hubbardston mountain lion reports exaggerated

Mountain Lion spotted in Sandy & South Jordan

Believe it or not – story of 6-legged deer lives on

Residents need government help dealing with skunks