A proposed ban on regulated beaver trapping in (of all places) “the beaver state” has pitted wildlife officials against animal activists, and science against social discourse. Beavers have long been associated with the early history of Oregon’s settlement, bringing commerce and trade to the region during settlement, and their pelts today still hold value to a determined sector of the state’s citizenry.

This dichotomy of differing levels with regard for the coyote further polarizes the debate. There’s a lot of people who truly love coyotes, and a lot of people who truly hate ‘em. This makes for quite the balancing act for impartial wildlife professionals when the topics of management, regulated cull, and public safety-driven pest control begin to swirl in the same social cauldron.

There have been more than half a dozen fox attacks in the area in just six months, with one unfortunate Bath resident being attacked on two separate occasions. The rash of fox attacks in the mid-coast of Maine has prompted formal action from at least one town, according to reports.

Colorado has become the latest state with noticeable reports of Canine Distemper in the local raccoon population. Colorado officials have confirmed the presence of canine distemper in raccoons - the most recent of which in Weld County.

For many in the hunting/conservation worlds, the announcement of Arkansas’ predator permit is a double edged sword. While the permit allows for a restoration of conservation balance, it also raises concerns with the socially perceived wanton waste of natural resources - the furbearers themselves.

For many, the decision came as no surprise, given the historic (and often questionable) legislative decisions and ballot reforms that have plagued "the Sunshine State" for decades. Equally important to note - the recent passage of a ban on trapping is just the first in a line of restrictive animal-use legislation. What does it mean for the citizens of California?

As the lines between wildlife and human settlement continue to meld, it appears even New England’s mesocarnivores have become complacent with their meal choices. Police in Stratham, New Hampshire reported via Facebook about the odd call and subsequent removal of a bobcat from a local Burger King rooftop.

Now that breeding and birthing seasons have passed, youngsters are on the move learning to forage independently. The curiosity factor is at peak to say the least with those infamous little stripped stinkers.

The knee-jerk cliché “they were here first” argument may very well be a valid one, but it detracts from the core issue; how do we continue to live among what has become, for lack of a better term, an evolutionary unprecedented apex predator?

To date, Staten Island has invested $4.1 million into their sterilization project, according to reports released Friday. The city hired wildlife contractors White Buffalo to carry out the project in 2016. It would be the world’s first attempt to curb deer by sterilizing only males, according to media reports. The borough’s herd reached approximately 2,053 individuals in 2017 which amounted to an 8,454% increase in less than a decade.

Despite a looming state-wide trapping ban, millions in funding continue to be thrown at a growing nutria invasion. In a year’s time, California’s “nutria eradication task force” has set up 487 camera stations, conducted 1,600 camera checks and administered 995 trap sets. Farmers in San Joaquin Valley have donated five tons of sweet potatoes to be used as nutria bait, according to media reports.

As Spring brings “new beginnings” for the beavers, it also inevitably brings new beginnings for mankind - in the form of heightened complaint calls for roaming beavers who’ve now inconveniently “set up shop” in the wrong parts of civilization.

City officials in the Riverside neighborhood of Chicago have announced warnings of distemper outbreak in the area’s raccoon population - and the hazards posed to residents, as well as non-vaccinated pets.

Just as the acorn mast abundance of two years ago drove a rodent explosion last year, I’m confident the expansion in rodent presence will drive a “cyclical boom” in New England’s predatory species this year.

Collectively, we don’t seem to be shocked by the presence of other wild species such as raccoons, skunks, and opossums roaming the back alleys of concrete and brick - but the coyote’s presence seems to catch the attention of the public and professionals in far greater numbers; and far greater curiosity.

Thanks to my experience as a licensed trapper, I know that this time of year the odds are particularly good for Virginia Opossums (Didelphis virginiana) to be carrying around a litter of newborn young in their pouches.

Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP) officers tracked down the animal and euthanized it after they were called to a Mohegan Sun Golf Course in Sprague, Connecticut, after a bobcat attacked the unidentified golfer that morning. 

The Fur Institute of Canada announced updates to their list of certified traps this week. The list of approved traps was updated by the Trap Research and Development Committee (TRDC). To meet the needed requirements for AIHTS trap certification, trap manufacturers must test any trapping device they intend to market for use in Canada. This includes mechanically powered, trigger activated lethal devices, as well as live capture foot-hold and cage traps.

MassWildlife officals discover a bear family overwintering in a wooded section of a busy highway median in Massachusetts.

A 16-year-old girl says she’s “fortunate to be alive” after reportedly being attacked by a coyote outside her Massachusetts home on Sunday evening. The attack occured as debates about coyote management in the Northeast are intensifying.

Montreal rolls out “hazing” plan for wily coyotes in the midst of 19 recorded attacks on people.

Its painfully obvious not everyone in San Francisco is “on board” with the city’s recent ridiculous ban on fur garments. A McDonald’s chain restaurant became the center of attention after a man entered the establishment with a dead raccoon.