WILDLIFE NEWS OF THE DAY - 092809

In wildlife news today, Camilla Fox of Project Coyote, provides our first two items of news on her favorite topic. A central California high school beset by geese has reconstituted their fake coyote population after thieves made off with the first batch; but although North Dakota's wildlife officials don't keep an official tally of how many coyotes are present in that state, residents are reporting increased sightings of the canines. In an update on the story of "Josie the possum", a Queensland, Australia, pensioner has succeeded in avoiding officials who want to confiscate the little creature; but the story appears to have a happy ending, as "Fred the possum" has been returned after a public upwelling arguing that, since the animals had never been in the wild, they would not survive if they were put in the wild. Wildlife authorities are still trying to figure out how a humpback whale ended up dead in a Virginia river; while first responders had a real mess on their hands when a truck transporting beehives in Turkey crashed, releasing swarms of angry bees that stung everybody in the vicinity. Mr. Bumble, a domesticated skunk in the UK, has been put on a diet after being fed inappropriate foods by his owners; followed by a editorial from Arizona that provides sage advice to husbands about listening to their wives, especially in regards to feeding skunks! As raptors continue their journey south for the winter, enthusiasts in Maryland are getting a "bird's-eye view" of the activity. A black bear in upstate New York that had wandered into a community was shot and killed by wildlife authorities; while Oklahoma's controversial black bear hunt is approaching. Colorado's Department of Wildlife has been experimenting with electric mats and fencing to deter hungry bears; something a resident of Mount Baldy Village, California, could have used, considering the $20,000 worth of repairs he has to pay for after a hungry black bear got trapped in the house! German zoo officials in Berlin were stunned when a Syrian brown bear attacked and killed a female brown bear with which he cohabited. U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service is getting ready to drop rabies vaccine baits in northern Tennessee and Southern Virginia to reduce the number of rabid raccoons in the area; while the driver of a Honda Accord that mowed down a pair of raccoons deliberately in Half Moon Bay, California, is being sought by authorities. It appears that Global Warming is a threat to more species than just polar bears, such as Minnesota's moose population. The role that hunting plays in the health of deer herds is examined in the next article; but there's trouble in paradise, as an overabundance of deer needs to be addressed by Hawaiian authorities. West Virginia led the nation in most deer-auto collisions, according to a new study from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety; and motorists in Nebraska are being given tips to help avoid deer-auto collisions, something which is more frequent during October and November in that state. British police managed to arrest a quartet of deer poachers over the weekend; while Michigan wildlife officials fear that some deer in that state may have died of epizootic hemorrhagic disease. Residents of Arizona's rural areas are being reminded again not to feed elk and deer, lest they find a cougar on their front doorstep. The next article, from Minnesota, discusses all aspects of cougars; followed by an Op-Ed piece from New Hampshire that pontificates over the possibility of cougars returning to that state for the first time since 1885. And finally, what's 7 feet tall, weighs 400 pounds, and wants to be your friend on Facebook?

Protecting America’s Song Dog

Tell The Huntington To Stop Killing Coyotes!

Tam High's geese-spooking coyotes return

More coyotes reported in eastern ND

Josie is still 'on the run'

Possum-keeper reunited with "pet"

Dead humpback whale found floating in Va. river

Crash scene overwhelmed by bees in Turkey

Fat skunk gives up bacon butties

Listen to your spouse to avoid a big stink

Migration brings broad-winged hawks to Md. sky

Bear Killed in Village of Lowville

Hunters Prepare to Hunt Bear In Oklahoma

Aspen bears are in for a shock

Bear raids house in Mt. Baldy

Male brown bear kills female bear at German zoo

Wildlife Officials Prepare Massive Rabies Vaccine Air Drop

2 men sought for running over raccoons in Half Moon Bay

Warmer weather threatens moose in Minnesota

How Deer Hunting Preserves The Deer Herds

Maui County wrestles with spiraling axis deer population

West Virginia Drivers Hit Most Deer, State Farm Says

Neb. drivers urged to watch out for deer in fall

Dog gangs target deer in county

Mich. officials track disease that killed deer

At feeding time, elk don't need your help

DNR wildlife manager provides cougar fact sheet

Editorial: Does the lion roam our yards tonight?

Endangered Ugandan gorillas join Facebook, MySpace