WILDLIFE NEWS OF THE DAY - 092609

One of the last places you would expect to find an infestation of skunks, the New York Times reports that the skunks have taken Manhattan! To many people, lawyers stink, but one from Austin, Texas, really did after being sprayed by a skunk at his office! A Pennsylvania farmer was fortunate that he was able to kill a rabid skunk before it came near his horses; but a Massachusetts resident is having to undergo a painful series of rabies shots after an encounter with a raccoon that may have been rabid. A raccoon in Louisiana ran into some trouble with a Hawaiian Punch can; and a black bear visited a backyard in Massachusetts which the owner nicknamed "the wild kingdom", due to the abundance of wildlife passing through. A bear that wandered into St. Paul, Minnesota, was shot by authorities due to fears for the crowd of onlookers it drew; but residents of Aspen, Colorado, are being told to make life "unbearable" for ursine visitors. An inside look at rehabilitation of bald eagles is provided by an article from Arkansas; while hawk watching records were broken in Delaware this weekend, one location reporting more than 3,000 raptors passing by. Residents of an Arkansas community are concerned about coyote attacks on their pets; but a particularly bold coyote walked right in the front door of an Oregon home and carried off an elderly Pekingese napping there; and a Central California community is complaining about increase in coyote attacks. A deer forest which had entertained guests for 60 years in Northern Indiana went on the auction block today. The divisive issue of an urban deer hunt has come to Portsmouth, Ohio; but in contrast, Greenwich, Connecticut, has seen a reduction in deer-auto collisions and decimation of vegetation in areas where deer hunting has been sanctioned. A trio of cougar sightings and Shasta Lake, California, has authorities on edge; while a cougar was apparently shot in a Texas community. A cougar killing a deer in Willits, California, prompted wildlife officials to provide tips to homeowners on how to keep deer away from their property, and thereby reduce the chance encounter with a cougar; but after spending hours poring over a photo of an alleged cougar, Michigan wildlife officials have concluded that it was really just a house cat. And finally, for those who recall the biblical phrase "the lion will lie down with the lamb", here's an item that shows that that's already happening!

Just Get a Whiff of This! Skunks Get a Free Pass

Austin attorney is stunk up by skunk

Skunks tests positive for rabies

Bitten by possibly rabid raccoon, Palmer man undergoing series of shots

'Trouble' The Raccoon Doing Well After Rescue, Release

Black bear roams through yard in Harvard

Bear shot near school in St. Paul suburb

Bear Invasion! Aspen Sees Tenfold Increase in Bear Sightings

Healed bald eagle to be set free

Hawks soar in DE

Coyote attacks dog in Vilonia

Coyote snatches Pekingese from Lake Oswego home

Coyotes 'getting very bold,' says Monte Sereno resident

Deer Forest goes on auction block

Urban Deer Hunting Debated in Portsmouth, Ohio

Deer population still an issue in Greenwich despite slight improvements

Mountain lion sightings reported in Shasta Lake

Mountain lion reportedly spotted in Rancho Alegre

Mountain lion kills deer on Redwood Avenue

DNR: Pic of Alleged Cougar is Actually a Kitty Cat

Animal Odd Couples: Unlikely Duos Find Friendship