WILDLIFE NEWS OF THE DAY - 090909

We lead off today with some personal comments from Catherine Pannell Waters, President of the Western Field Ornithologists, on skunks:

I remain a huge fan of Wildlife News of the Day. Thank you for compiling it. About skunks. Many years ago Robert and I lived in Seal Beach, California. When we purchased our first home and moved in with our cat, Miss Kitty, we found we had not only purchased a home but we had purchased a skunk habitat. They were our best house guests ever. They didn't drink, smoke or do unacceptable things with the neighbors' daughters yet they ate every snail and slug in the yard. They lived in the crawl space under the house. Miss Kitty spent nearly every day in the crawl space and would emerge at dinner time with a faint wisp of eau de skunk and an appetite but that was it. For two years the "gang" of us lived happily with each other. We never knew what the cat did under the house and we never asked. We rarely saw the skunks and they never sprayed in our yard. The noisy, pool- party- every- weekend neighbors saw a different side of our house guests who turned loose on the drunken pool parties with fervor. We honestly got used to the scent and ever since have wished that our current neighborhood had a few skunks to teach neighborly manners as well as our former skunk roommates did. No doubt they are rabies carriers, sadly. We kept our cat's vaccinations up to date . It is now over 35 years later and we still fondly remember our house guest skunks with fondness.

In wildlife news, a tame skunk was rescued by RSPCA workers in Wales after it was found wandering through a local community; but a New York community reported a rabid skunk, prompting officials to remind residents to secure their trash in order to cut down on skunk incursions. A bevy of red-tailed hawks have taken up residence in a Massachusetts park; and school kids from three Tennessee counties got up-close and personal with various forms of wildlife at a conservation camp. New Zealand is looking to import a new poison to deal with the runaway possum population; but drought conditions in Kenya, Africa, are taking a toll on their iconic elephant herds. A new study published in the British Journal 'Nature' postulates that chronic wasting disease and other maladies may be passed along by the feces of otherwise healthy deer; while poachers and illegal deer hunters beware - posting your exploits on Facebook may land you in a world of hurt! Police in a North Dakota community have been given shoot-to-kill orders in regards to a cougar that has been prowling around the city limits; and a letter to the editor of an Ontario, Canada, newspaper recounts their encounter with a cougar in their backyard. Residents of Stockton, California, have nervously noted coyotes moving into their neighborhood; while a resident of Minnesota reflects on a coyote encounter on a rural road. A coyote apparently made off with a Portland, Oregon, family's dog early one morning; followed by an article about suburban coyotes in Seattle, Washington. The coyote problem in parts of Orange County, California is addressed in an LA Times article in which Wildlife NOTD reader Laura Simon, who is field director of the Humane Society of the United States' Urban Wildlife Program, advocates hazing rather than trapping the animals; and some tips on avoiding coyote visitations are offered in the following article. An Op-Ed from Minnesota tallies up the charges against coyotes in their area by various parties; and coyotes have been making trouble for rural dwellers in Nova Scotia, Canada, as well. A New York Times ethicist decries the hunting of wolves, which has just begun in some Midwestern states. A Florida resident who fed raccoons has been let off the hook by law enforcement after stopping the practice. Residents of a New Jersey community are being warned to watch their children as a bear passes through their area; but there are concerns in British Columbia, Canada, that a salmon shortage may lead to a bear shortage. Due to an abundance of bear food, ursine encounters have been down in the Lake Tahoe area this year, but that may be about to change; while hunters in Ontario, Canada, claim the cancellation of a bear hunt has resulted in more orphaned bear cubs in their community. Wildlife officials in Louisiana are providing pointers for residents to help them avoid messy encounters with black bears as the creatures go into their fall feeding frenzy. Aspen, Colorado, has had an unbearable year with ursine visitors, according to an article from the Associated Press; followed by a few other stories of bear encounters in that state, including one from a firehouse in which a bear was drinking from a toilet! We conclude today with a still life study from New York State: bear in a chair!

RSPCA rescue skunk found wandering in Tredegar

Rabid skunk found in Norwich

Red-tailed hawks swooping through Medford

Conservation camp introduces students to concepts, critters

TRC supports use of alternative possum bait

Kenya's elephants dying amid drought

Healthy deer can spread prion disease through faeces

Facebook video leads to deer shining charges

Mountain lion confirmed near Tioga city limits

Cougar on the prowl in Meaford

Coyotes put some in neighborhood on edge

Dan Conradt: Coyotes are common in state

Family suspects urban coyote in disappearance of pet dog

Suburban coyotes

Hungry coyotes are hunting near homes

Keeping coyotes away

Is there a coyote problem in Yellow Medicine County?

‘An exceptional year for coyotes’

Killing Wolves for Fun

North Fort Myers 'Raccoon Lady' agrees to stop feeding critters

Parents are warned: Beware of the bear

British Columbia Bears Dying From Salmon Shortage, Globe Says

Lake Tahoe bear activity down, but maybe not out

Cancellation of spring bear hunt responsible for nuisances

LDWF aims for bear awareness

Aspen confronts bolder bears looking for food

Bear-ing the brunt

Still Life: Bear in a Chair