Use Pandas to download html table of bear sightings in CT and save to bears.csv

omg_bears_ct.py

import pandas as pd

class BearTable():

    """
        BearTable() - get a pandas DataFrame() of bear sightings in CT
        --------------------------------------------------------------

        This is a rolling list of bear sightings  maintained by the CT 
        Department of Energy and Environmental protection. It is 
        available online at: http://www.depdata.ct.gov/wildlife/sighting/bearsight.asp
        This tool will fail if the structure of that web page changes 
        from when this tool was designed.
    """

    
    def __init__(self):
        self.table = False
        self.url = "http://www.depdata.ct.gov/wildlife/sighting/bearsight.asp"
        tables = pd.read_html(self.url)
        # print "Found " + str(len(tables)) + " tables."
        table = tables[11]
        if (len(table.columns) != 2):
            raise Exception("This table doesn't look right. Maybe the page has been changed")
        table.columns = "Town","Reports"
        self.table = table

    def get(self):
        return self.table


(BearTable()).get().to_csv("bears.csv",index=False)

omg_bears_min.py

# Do the same thing, but in 4 lines

import pandas as pd

table = pd.read_html("http://www.depdata.ct.gov/wildlife/sighting/bearsight.asp")[11]
table.columns = "Towns","Reports"
table.to_csv("bears.csv", index=False)