WILDLIFE NEWS OF THE DAY - 092209

Pat Brennan, of the Orange County Register, discusses the difficult life of a Southern California mule deer buck as rutting season begins, our first wildlife article today; but an Iowa community is pushing ahead with its plans for a deer hunt, despite protests from PETA. The contentious issue of deer culling and sterilization in a upstate New York community is revisited in the next article; and the effectiveness of using wool string in fabricating a homemade fence to keep deer out of the garden is revealed by an article from New Brunswick, Canada. With a population of over 1 1/2 million deer, the UK has recorded 74,000 deer-auto collisions, forcing officials to ask drivers to slow down near deer areas. Birdwatchers got quite an aerial display from birds migrating south across Duluth, Minnesota, over this past weekend; while Raptor Rescue will be returning an eagle to the wild in northwest Arkansas this coming weekend. Wildlife and pet columnist Gary Bogue discusses the possibility of a hawk making off with a chicken in California. A woman who was bitten by a raccoon in South Carolina had the presence of mind to capture the critter so that it could be determined whether it was rabid or not; but another trio of rabies cases has been reported in a North Carolina county that already had a dozen so far this year. The unlikelihood of cougars in Pennsylvania is revisited by wildlife officials there after reported sightings; while wildlife officials have brought in the hounds to try to smoke out a cougar on Microsoft's campus in Washington state. Urban coyotes are being joined by some of their wilder cousins from the hills after the devastating wildfires in Southern California; but Los Angeles officials are caught in a bit of a quandary on the issue of controlling aggressive coyotes in Griffith Park due to public outcry against killing the animals. An Op-Ed piece from Oregon argues that ranchers should be allowed to shoot wolves that are causing problems for their livestock. Residents of a community in Utah are being warned to secure their trash after a black bear was spotted in the area; and Yellowstone's grizzly population is once again under federal protection after a federal judge revoked Bush administration policies that took the bear off the Endangered Species list. Wildlife officials in Medford, Oregon, lamented the fact that the bear they shot with a tranquilizer dart in town drowned after running into a nearby river and passing out. And finally, in an interesting coincidence, Russian President Medvedev (whose name comes from the Russian word for bear) donated two Siberian bear cubs to the Swiss city of Bern (whose name comes from the German word for bear)!

For mule deer, fall is full of hazards

City responds to PETA attack on deer hunting

Heights reduces minimum deer sterilization target

Fence keeps deer from dahlias

Drivers told 'slow down for deer'

Birdwatchers Flock To Hawk Ridge In Duluth

Eagle release planned for Sunday at Hobbs State Park in northwest Arkansas

Gary Bogue: Chickens: Could a hawk fly off with a hen?

Little River woman undergoing rabies treatment

Three more rabies cases confirmed for a total of 15 this year in Rowan County

Official: Presence of mountain lion unlikely

Dogs search Microsoft campus for cougar

Our View: Beware of displaced coyotes

Griffith Park users outraged by shooting of 7 coyotes

Give ranchers right to kill problem wolves

Police: Bear spotted in Dunstable

Court restores safeguards for grizzly bears

Tranquilized Oregon bear drowns in creek

Medvedev gives Swiss city two bear cubs