WILDLIFE NEWS OF THE DAY - 090309

First up in wildlife news today, Kelly Burgess, of the Los Angeles Times, chronicles the first two wolf kills in Idaho's controversial hunt; and a conservationist pleads for help in stopping the hunting of wolves in Alaska. Montana, another state that's hosting a wolf hunt, is also waiting to hear whether it will be canceled by a federal judge's ruling; but a hunter argues that they are not as bloodthirsty as critics make them out to be. Residents of Thousand Oaks, California, discuss the issue of coyotes attacking their pets; followed by an article from nearby Calabasas that details the aftermath of a coyote attack on a dachshund. Two Colorado communities are getting educated on coyotes: WildEarth Guardians is working with Centennial to educate people on coexisting with coyotes in the area; and Aurora has received some funds to help them discuss alternatives to shooting coyotes. An article written by Camilla Fox of Project Coyote discusses the dysfunctional organization overseeing testing of fur-bearing animal traps in the US. Residents of a Michigan town are debating what sort of wildlife has been "tearing up their yards". A New Hampshire wildlife rehabilitator is getting caught in a financial crunch which could impact their operation; and speaking of crunches, a software billionaire is recovering from a safari in which he suffered broken bones from an elephant attack! The body of a brown bear sow was discovered on the Kenai Peninsula in Alaska and is believed to be the mother of three orphaned cubs that were euthanized a few days ago. An Op-Ed piece from Montana laments the lack of funding for better education of tourists on bears, resulting in more bears being destroyed due to humans feeding them; Montana wildlife officials had to euthanize a 20-year-old bear after a traffic collision severely injured him; and the long, colorful life of a fugitive bear in Montana is chronicled in the next item. A volunteer who had part of her finger bitten off by a black bear at a Florida wildlife shelter feels worse for the bear, who is paralyzed from the waist down, than she does for herself; while an organization researching bears that are dumpster diving in Durango, Colorado, reports on some of their findings. With winter on the horizon, bear activity in Ontario, Canada, communities is expected to increase as the ursines gorge themselves prior to hibernation; but a drug bust in British Columbia led to the discovery of poached bear paws in a freezer. A sheriff's deputy in Florida was able to help a raccoon out of a tight situation; followed by an article that tells you everything you ever wanted to know about skunks, minus the smell! Police in Redwood City, California, are warning residents of a cougar sighting this morning; and some background material on cougars in Colorado is up next. A male cougar in Arizona was shot by wildlife officials after killing 15 big horn sheep in a wildlife refuge. Restrictions on deer hunting in Missouri have yielded big bucks (unfortunately, not the kind that would help their deficit!); but at the opposite end of the spectrum, zookeepers in Belfast, Ireland, are ecstatic about their latest addition, a tiny endangered Chilean pudu. With preparations for an urban deer hunt underway, the police chief of a Wisconsin community discusses the event; while a Michigan motorcyclist struck a deer that jumped in front of him, ending up in the hospital. A fledgling red-tailed hawk that had fallen out of a nest was rehabilitated and released in a field in Oregon. And finally, a Cooper's Hawk in Washington state provided a graphic example of the old saying "I can't believe I ate the whole thing!"

Hunters kill two wolves in Idaho on opening day

Wolves under fire in Alaska, too!

Northern MT hunters can take most wolves in hunt

Wolves not really in danger

Living close to coyotes isn’t always easy for T.O. residents

Close call for pooch in coyote attack

Coyote education goal in Centennial program

Aurora receives funding to teach about coyote dangers

Trapped in Debate

Sanford residents wonder if wild pigs are tearing up Midland County town's yards

Tightening finances threaten couple's help for animals

Software mogul attacked by elephant during safari

Bear corpse found in Sterling: Fish and Game says it may be mom of dispatched cubs

Bear education needs more funding

Bear put down after collision near Gardiner

Killing of problem bear in Swan Valley ‘last resort’

Woman says bear bit her finger at Homestead rescue center

Bear Necessity?

Bear activity likely to jump here this month

Ten bear paws seized in bust

Fla. deputy helps raccoon with head stuck in jar

Getting to know skunk kits

Mountain lion sighted

Mountain lion spotted near 33 and C roads

Arizona officials kill mountain lion near Kofa wildlife refuge

Mo. rule on deer hunts leads to bigger bucks

Smallest deer is born at city zoo

Police chief discusses deer hunting within city limits

Motorcyclist hospitalized after striking deer, crashing

Red-tailed hawk soars free in memory of Gordon Scott Sr.

Birding: Cooper’s hawk gorged on goldfinch