Grizzly. Photo by Jean-Pierre Lavoie. Wikimedia Commons.
Idaho 09/24/11 washingtonpost.com: An Idaho elk hunter who apparently stumbled across a bear’s resting spot Saturday was hospitalized after the animal bit him and broke his right arm, officials said. Richard Paini, 40, suffered puncture wounds and an injured left hand along with the broken forearm in the attack at about 9 a.m. He was taken to the Eastern Idaho Regional Medical Center in Idaho Falls. A hospital spokesman said Paini, of Island Park, was listed in serious condition Saturday afternoon. She declined to release details about the extent of his injuries. The bear involved in the attack fled after Paini’s archery hunting partner, John Stiehl of Island Park, used bear spray to scare off the bear. Stiehl told authorities he believed it was a grizzly bear.
The Wildlife Human Attack Response Team was activated to investigate the attack, said Gregg Losinski, a spokesman for Idaho Fish and Game and a member of the team. “It was described to be a large bear,” Losinski said. He said the attack, first reported by KIFI-TV in Idaho Falls, occurred about a half mile east of Last Chance in the Caribou-Targhee National Forest. He said hair samples collected at the site have been sent to a lab that will identify whether it was a black bear or grizzly bear. The bear’s reaction, Losinski said, was typical of grizzly bears, which tend to be more aggressive than black bears, though a surprised black bear could also be dangerous. – For complete article go to http://www.washingtonpost.com/national/e-idaho-elk-hunter-hospitalized-in-serious-condition-after-bear-attack/2011/09/24/gIQA2MD0tK_story.html
Oregon 09/23/11 state.or.us: News Release – Oregon Department of Fish & Wildlife (ODFW) staff will kill two wolves from the Imnaha pack after confirming they were involved in another livestock loss. The two wolves that will be targeted are the alpha male and an uncollared wolf in the pack. Data from the alpha male’s GPS collar confirm he was at the scene where the calf was killed earlier this week. Removing two wolves will reduce the size of Imnaha pack to two—the adult/alpha female and a pup born in spring 2011. Other wolves from the Imnaha pack moved to new areas earlier this year. “Today’s decision was not made lightly,” said ODFW Director Roy Elicker. “We’re working hard to conserve wolves in Oregon, yet be sensitive to the losses suffered by livestock owners.” Yesterday’s investigation brings to 14 the number of livestock animals confirmed to be killed by the Imnaha pack in the past year and a half. ODFW or U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service confirmed seven losses this year (two in February, and on April 30, May 4 and 17, June 5, and Sept. 22) and seven last year. The 2011 losses are repeating a pattern similar to 2010, when the Imnaha pack wolves killed livestock April through early June and again in the fall (September). An additional two losses were determined to be probable wolf kills by this pack, including one on Sept. 7, 2011. ODFW assumed responsibility for wolf management in the eastern third of Oregon May 5, 2011, after wolves in this area were delisted from the federal Endangered Species Act. After four confirmed livestock losses in spring 2011, ODFW killed two wolves from the Imnaha pack in mid-May.
Under the Wolf Conservation and Management Plan, ODFW kills wolves after chronic livestock depredation. Yesterday’s investigation scene showed clear evidence of a wolf attack. The large spring calf had been dead less than two days, yet was almost completely consumed, suggesting the entire pack had fed on it. The alpha female was observed near the investigation site the following day, and GPS collar data indicates the alpha male was with her at the time. This latest confirmed depredation occurred in the same area where livestock losses had been confirmed in May and June 2011, on private property with livestock operations near Joseph. Landowners in this area have been using numerous non-lethal measures to avoid wolf-livestock problems. Find more information on wolves in Oregon.
Colorado 09/24/11 summitcountyvoice.com: A mountain lion killed a pet dog this week near Sunlight Ski Area, and another lion was seen in Carbondale, prompting Colorado wildlife managers to warn that encounters with the potentially dangerous animals will become more frequent as the state’s population grows to 5 million and lion populations rebound. A resident living near the Sunlight Ski Resort told a wildlife officer that an attack happened when she let her dogs walk outside at approximately 10 p.m., Wednesday (Sept. 20). She ran out to her deck after hearing distressed barking, and watched as a mountain lion ran off with her 14 year-old poodle/shih tzu mix in its mouth. “As troubling as the incident may seem, residents in this area need to remember that they live in mountain lion country and this can happen anytime,” said Perry Will, wildlife manager for the area. “Lions are opportunistic predators, so we caution people to keep a close eye on their dogs, cats or other domesticated animals.” Wildlife managers take human safety or loss of livestock into consideration when deciding whether to relocate or lethally manage a predator. However, they do not typically kill a lion that preys on an unsupervised pet. – For complete article go to http://summitcountyvoice.com/2011/09/24/colorado-mountain-lion-kills-dog-near-glenwood-springs/
Ohio 09/25/11 hudsonhubtimes.com: Police are warning residents to keep a close eye on their pets after a coyote attack was reported Sept. 19 in the Lakes of Aurora neighborhood. The city also has initiated a program with its animal control contractor to try to trap coyotes around town. Laurie Sovich told the Aurora Advocate on Sept. 20 that the family’s Maltese-mixed dog was snatched from the yard by a coyote and carried into the woods while her husband and son were sitting on the front porch the evening of Sept. 19. A handful of Lakes of Aurora residents also have told the Advocate in recent weeks that their cats have turned up missing.
Wisconsin 09/24/11 channel3000.com: An outbreak of Eastern equine encephalitis is expanding in Wisconsin. State veterinarian Robert Ehlenfeldt said 25 cases of a mosquito-borne disease have been confirmed in Wisconsin since mid-August, mostly in the north-central part of the state. Ehlenfeldt advised horse owners to call a veterinarian if their horses show any signs of central nervous system disease. Those include loss of appetite, dropping eyelids and lower lip, aimless wandering and circling and sometimes paralysis. The disease has a mortality rate of 90 percent or higher. So far, the disease has been detected in Price, Lincoln, Taylor, Clark, Marathon and Dunn counties. Ehlenfeldt said he expects more cases to be confirmed. He said warm weather forecast for next week might mean mosquitoes are more active.
Vermont 09/23/11 townofbrandon.com: Public Notice – The Vermont Department of Health and the Vermont Agency of Agriculture, Food and Markets announced today that Eastern equine encephalitis (EEE) was confirmed on September 22 in an emu from Brandon. This is the first time that EEE virus has been confirmed in a live animal in 
Vermont. No cases in people have been reported. While EEE virus has never caused illness in Vermont, EEE in animals and people had been reported in Vermont’s bordering states and Quebec. In 2010, testing of deer and moose samples confirmed that EEE virus was present in Vermont. – For complete notice go to http://townofbrandon.com/2011/09/23/eastern-equine-encephalitis-detected-in-vermont-bird/
Pinellas County
Florida 09/23/11 tbo.com: Pinellas County officials Friday evening confirmed that St. Louis encephalitis and West Nile virus have popped up on sentinel chickens around the county. In a news release, the county’s mosquito control division said that a total of 15 St. Louis encephalitis and three West Nile virus cases were found in chickens. No human cases have been reported. The chickens that contracted the West Nile virus were in Palm Harbor, Oldsmar and Seminole. The St. Louis encephalitis cases were detected in Clearwater, Tarpon Springs, Palm Harbor, Oldsmar, St. Petersburg and Seminole. Officials said that the increased numbers of positive tests do not indicate an increase in the presence of the viruses. A mosquito-borne advisory issued by the Florida Department of Health last week is in effect because tests on sentinel chickens were confirmed positive.
Georgia 09/23/11 wrdw.com: The Richmond County Health Department is issuing a warning to residents of Richmond County about rabies and your pets. They say a raccoon that was picked up in a wooded area close to Rosier Road, Wentworth Road, Chadwick Road and the Pepperidge subdivision has tested positive for rabies. Any contact of humans with wild animals should be reported to the Richmond County Health Department Environmentalist Health Section office at (706) 667-4234 and contact of pets with wild animals to 
Richmond County Animal Control at (706) 790- 6836.
South Carolina 09/23/11 thestate.com: A man who picked up a raccoon in the Hopkins area of Richland County is under the care of a physician after the animal tested positive for rabies, the S.C. Department of Health and Environmental Control reported Friday. “The raccoon was found on a road, and the man wanted to help it,” said Sue Ferguson of DHEC’s Bureau of Environmental Health. “The raccoon eventually bit the man on his hand.”
Follow-Up Reports:
National 09/23/11 military.com: News Release – (See August 26, 2011 post: New York soldier returning from deployment diagnosed with RABIES ~ August 28, 2011 Follow-Up Reports: media learns source of New York soldier’s RABIES infection ~ September 5, 2011 Follow-Up Reports: SOLDIER at Ft. Drum, New York, with RABIES has died ~ and September 16, 2011 Follow-Up Reports: SOLDIER who died of RABIES did not receive full course of post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP) RABIES VACCINE.) A soldier who recently returned from Afghanistan died from rabies last month after contracting the disease from a feral dog while deployed. The Army has initiated an investigation to ensure that other service members who may have been exposed to rabies are identified and receive preventive treatment, if needed. The Army Medical Department, along with the Department of Defense, other uniformed services and the national Centers for Disease Control and Prevention are working together to expeditiously identify, evaluate and treat any service members, DOD civilians and contractors who may have been exposed to rabies while deployed. Individuals who have already been identified as being exposed to the disease while deployed are currently receiving evaluation and treatment. – For complete release go to http://www.military.com/news/article/army-news/army-seeks-to-id-treat-soldiers-exposed-to-rabies.html
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