Tag: Animals

Letter: CPW needs to end mountain lion hunts

Letter: CPW needs to end mountain lion hunts

Of all the outdoor adventures I have experienced in more than four decades traversing Colorado, my solo encounter with a mountain lion last year on a trail a few miles south of Hot Sulphur Springs ranks at the top of the list.

The big cat and I locked eyes and exchanged pleasantries for several seconds before he (or she) graciously stepped off the trail and trotted nobly into the scrub. It was an exhilarating few moments with a rarely seen cougar, the proverbial “phantom of the forest.”

Courtesy: Jason Klassi

Unfortunately, my fond memory has since been overshadowed by the fear that the glorious wild animal that I encountered may well have been shot to death by now for no better reason than the gratification of a trophy hunter. Sadly, Colorado Parks and Wildlife allows annual cougar “harvests” even though surveys clearly show that most Coloradans oppose trophy hunting of mountain lions as well as other wild cats.

Trophy hunting of cougars serves no legitimate wildlife management purpose. Indeed, scientific studies show clearly that killing of cougars threatens not only the big cats but also has a negative trickle-down effect on non-targeted species in the wildlife chain.

Trophy killing usually entails unleashing dogs to chase down and tree an exhausted and terrified cat before shooting it to death. Whether such an action can be called “hunting” is doubtful, but there is no doubt that it cannot be called “sporting.” For this reason, surveys have shown, most legitimate hunters in Colorado oppose trophy hunting as well as trapping of wild cats.

In the next round of hunting review CPW should follow the science as well as ethical behavior and eliminate the senseless and destructive policy of allowing trophy killing of cougars. Indiscriminate killing has no place in any legitimate “management plan” of wild cat populations in Colorado and throughout the American West.

— Walter Lawrence Hixson, Akron, Ohio

Reposted from:  https://www.skyhinews.com/letter-to-the-editor/letter-cpw-needs-to-end-mountain-lion-hunts/

Utah Wildlife Board approves excessive 2021-22 hunt recommendations

For immediate release

Date:  August 26, 2021

Contact:  
Debra Chase, CEO, Mountain Lion Foundation
DChase@mountainlion.org
916-442-2666 ext. 103

Utah Wildlife Board approves excessive 2021-22 hunt recommendations

Salt Lake City, UT – Utah’s newly approved hunting targets for mountain lions are excessive and unsustainable, according to an analysis by conservation advocates. The Utah Wildlife Board voted Thursday to allow unlimited cougar hunting in most of the state, and to place harvest limits elsewhere. During the 2020-21 cougar hunting season, a record 702 kills by hunters and Wildlife Services were reported by the Division of Wildlife Resources (DWR).

“Allowing trophy hunters to kill so many of our cougars is not only unsustainable, it is not good management, and does not support the DWR’s mission of serving the people of Utah as “trustee and guardian of the state’s protected wildlife,” stated Denise Peterson, Conservation Advocate for the Mountain Lion Foundation and resident of Utah. She continued, “The majority of Utahans do not support the killing of the state’s lions to appease a small handful of wildlife stakeholders and it is high time that management decisions reflect this reality.”

Under the plan, 33 of the 53 cougar hunting units will allow unlimited year-round harvest and have a goal of >40% female harvest. For the remaining 20 cougar hunt units, DWR recommended that hunters be permitted to kill up to 297 cougars. The policy allows a single hunter to kill up to 2 cougars per year, but does not allow the killing of cougars that have been collared by researchers statewide.

According to DWR, a record number of cougars were killed by hunters and Wildlife Services during the 2020-21 season: 702 documented mortalities. The Mountain Lion Foundation estimates, based on available suitable habitat and the solitary nature of cougars, suggests that the state may be home to around 1,600 adult-aged mountain lions. DWR estimated in 2019 that the state has 70% more lions: 2,700 individuals. DWR’s inflated population estimates were used to justify the high hunting quotas approved by the Wildlife Board.

“I worry that these excessive hunting limits will only increase conflicts between lions and domestic animals, and do little to achieve management goals of boosting big game species like mule deer and bighorn sheep,” says MLF’s Peterson. “Cougars continue to get the blame for mule deer and bighorn sheep declines, but there are many other factors that influence deer and sheep survival, including drought and lack of quality forage. Studies have even shown that hunting disrupts cougar social structures and increases conflicts with livestock and predation on declining prey.”

If you want to support our efforts or get involved in Utah, visit MountainLion.org.

Founded in 1986, the Mountain Lion Foundation is a national nonprofit organization with a mission to ensure that America’s lion survives and flourishes in the wild.

Saving America’s Lion – Restoring Our Earth

51 years ago Earth Day was founded. One of the largest grass roots movements in support of environmental protections. That day in 1970, an estimated 20 million people attended the festivities and marched in the streets demanding that our government do more to save our planet. 20 years later it rose to 200 million and today it is estimated that one billion people celebrate the Earth and will march in the streets for stronger environmental protections this April 22nd.

This Earth Day, after a year that tested us beyond measure, many of us are anxious, bored, over worked or worse, unemployed. We are ready to get out of the house. To help you celebrate the importance of this Earth Day we aren’t presenting a webinar to watch, a town hall meeting to attend or even a march. Today is for the Earth and we are asking you to step up and do something really radical. Something that could very well change your life or at least allow you to see your life and the planet from a different perspective. We are asking you to go outside. Take a hike through a forest, walk by a lake or alongside a river. Hug some trees and put your bare feet in the water. Experience the natural world in all of its glorious splendor.

Allow yourself to indulge in an old fashioned adventure. An adventure where you don’t know how long the trail is, or where the hike will lead you, where it ends, or what previous walkers, runners, bicyclists, or hikers thought about it as posted on social media or in the latest review ap. So please, have an adventure, unplug and go outside.

As you embrace nature and your own inner transformation, you’ll discover that your power—and responsibility—to change the world around you are far greater than you’ve known.

Watch the beautiful video above as your entry into the wild and then get out there. Just walk or hike or ride a bike. Find a park, nature preserves, a forest or some other place that is natural and free. Discover what you have missed, listen to the quiet and pay homage to the planet that sustains us.

Earth. This is your Day. We recognize you. We celebrate you.

Bighorn’s Gordian Knot: Beyond the Dance of the Predator Prey Relationship

Bighorn’s Gordian Knot: Beyond the Dance of the Predator Prey Relationship

Interspersed with exclusive video, Leslie will discuss the complexity of issues facing the recovery of bighorn sheep; how mountain lions are being culled for bighorn relocations into their historic ranges; and what the future might hold for healthy bighorn populations.

“If we value bighorn sheep, then there needs to be a way to fund programs that support bighorns other than through hunts and super tags. There is something obscene in the sole financial support to save bighorns throughout the West—native wildlife that are in the public trust—relying on a sliver of mega-rich trophy hunters. Additionally, being dependent exclusively on hunters for bighorn dollars creates a vicious cycle that pressures agencies to put more bighorns on every mountain so as to increase revenue. It also fuels extreme predator management programs like in New Mexico, where the culling of lions never ends despite bighorn herds that are thriving.” – Bighorns’ Gordian Knot

 

About Leslie Patten:

Leslie Patten is a naturalist and writer. Living for over fifteen years in Northwest Wyoming, she loves exploring, hiking, and camera trapping wildlife. In her book Ghostwalker: Tracking a Mountain Lion’s Soul through Science and Story, she interviewed over fifty wildlife biologists, trackers, conservationists and houndsmen to reveal the hidden world of mountain lions. Her most recent book, Shadow Landscape, is a compilation of wildlife stories. Continuing her research into mountain lions, Shadow Landscape contains an essay entitled Bighorns’ Gordian Knot that investigates the tangled and politically fraught issue of bighorn sheep and mountain lions.

“The Conservation Game” Premiere

Premiere Postponed:

As we’re sure you’re already aware, the uptick of coronavirus (COVID-19) cases in Seattle, WA has meant that it’s now vital to continue to limit social contact and avoid in person gatherings.  For that reason, we’ve made the difficult decision to postpone the showing of the documentary film “The Conservation Game” until further notice. While we know this is disappointing, we hope you can understand the steps we’re taking to help keep our staff and attendees safe. We are hoping to show the film at a later date either in person when it is safer to do so or virtually.

We’ll be processing refunds for everyone who bought a ticket. If you have any questions or concerns, please get in touch here: info@mountainlion.org.

Thank you for your interest in “The Conservation Game,” and for your understanding. To find out more about the virus and how you can do your bit, visit the King County Public Health or the CDC websites.

https://kingcounty.gov/depts/health/covid-19.aspx

https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/index.html

“The Conservation Game” Premiere

“The Conservation Game” Dives Deep into the Perils of the Endangered Ambassador Animals and the Exotic Animal Trade.

The Mountain Lion Foundation proudly sponsors an exclusive showing of the film that the Santa Barbara Film Festival calls “AN ABSOLUTE BOMBSHELL OF A DOCUMENTARY.”

Exclusive Showing of award winning documentary and VIP event with the stars of the film to follow from 9:30pm-11:00pm. You can join the stars of the movie Tim Harrison and Jeff Kremer at the Sheraton Grand Hotel for an after party!

“The Conservation Game” exposes the real story of what happens to the endangered Ambassador Animals (captive animals — especially big cats — which audiences interact with up close) that celebrity conservationists exploit on TV (e.g. Jack Hanna, Boone Smith, Jarod Miller, Dave Salmoni) and is already rattling cages within the zoological world. “THE CONSERVATION GAME”

follows Tim Harrison, a retired cop who makes a bombshell discovery while undercover at an exotic animal auction. He starts to suspect that America’s top television celebrity conservationists may be secretly connected to the exotic pet trade. The detective chases missing lions, tigers and lynx, birddogs those hawking exotic wildlife, and lets the cat out of the bag to expose lies, deception, and cover-ups.

As his investigation leads deeper into the secret world of the big cat trade, Tim and his team take their fight to the halls of Congress, pressing lawmakers to pass federal legislation that would end the private breeding and exploitation of these endangered and majestic animals. The Big Cat Public Safety Act. But when opposition comes from an unexpected source, Tim is forced to face the demons of his own past, while wrestling with the consequences of exposing his childhood hero.

“If Tiger King is the tabloid take on the big cat story,
The Conservation Game is the Pro Publica version.”
– Film Threat

Attendees will be expected to show proof of full COVID-19 vaccination or recent negative COVID-19 test result. While requirements are subject to change based on local health regulation, attendees who are not fully vaccinated should expect to provide, a negative COVID-19 test result obtained within 48 hours (2 days) of attending.

World Lion Day

It’s World Lion Day! Today, we are celebrating America’s Lion: The Mountain Lion

Mountain lions are known by many names, including cougar, puma, catamount, painter, panther, and many more. They are the most wide-ranging cat species in the world and are found as far north as Canada and as far south as Chile.

Mountain lions are highly adaptable to situations and environments, and this adaptability has enabled them to survive across much of their original range in the America’s, despite severe habitat loss and active threats like trophy hunting.

This World Lion Day, join us in celebrating the adaptability and resiliency of America’s Lion, while helping to ensure their continued existence in America’s future:  MountainLion.org/Donate

Speak Up for Utah’s Cougars!

2021-08-26:  Update

Utah Wildlife Board approves excessive 2021-22 hunt recommendations

Utah’s newly approved hunting targets for mountain lions are excessive and unsustainable, according to an analysis by conservation advocates. The Utah Wildlife Board voted Thursday to allow unlimited cougar hunting in most of the state, and to place harvest limits elsewhere. During the 2020-21 cougar hunting season, a record 702 kills by hunters and Wildlife Services were reported by the Division of Wildlife Resources (DWR).
Under the plan, 33 of the 53 cougar hunting units will allow unlimited year-round harvest and have a goal of >40% female harvest. For the remaining 20 cougar hunt units, DWR recommended that hunters be permitted to kill up to 297 cougars. The policy allows a single hunter to kill up to 2 cougars per year, but does not allow the killing of cougars that have been collared by researchers statewide.
Read our full press release here.

Speak Up for Utah’s Cougars!

Utah Division of Wildlife Resources has released their cougar hunt recommendations for the upcoming season. If you live in Utah, please attend the Wildlife Board meeting on August 26, 2021 to give your feedback on their recommendations. You can also submit written comment to the Wildlife Board. The deadlines for comment and meeting schedule are posted below.

To submit your comments, visit: https://wildlife.utah.gov/agendas-materials-minutes.html:

  • Commenting instructions:
    • Click on “Proposals: Share your feedback”
    • Select the Wildlife Board to send comments to the members
    • Scroll down to the 2021-22 Cougar Recommendations and watch the video
    • Click on “I have watched this presentation and would like to give feedback.”
    • Check on your position and include comments in the box titled, “Do you have any additional comments about these recommendations?”
    • Lastly, scroll down to “Contact Information” and complete the required fields to submit.

Wildlife Board meeting schedule:

Utah Wildlife Board meeting: Aug. 26 at 9 a.m. MDT (Written comments must be submitted by Aug. 19 at 11:59 p.m. MDT)
Location: 1594 W North Temple, Salt Lake City, UT 84116

Dr. Shaun Grassel presents: Non-Lethal Methods for Wildlife Management

Dr. Shaun Grassel presents:  Non-Lethal Methods for Wildlife Management

In this webinar, Dr. Grassel will discuss several non-lethal methods for wildlife management that have been used by the Lower Brule Sioux Tribe. Using these methods beavers have been successfully captured and relocated when their activities have plugged culverts, impacted roads and fences, and threatened trees that are used by nesting bald eagles. In addition, prairie dogs have been captured and translocated from areas of conflict to areas where safe, new habitats have been constructed by humans. Dr. Grassel will also discuss the Tribe’s efforts to bolster its pronghorn population by sterilizing coyotes to reduce predation on pronghorn kids.

 

 

Dr. Shaun Grassel

Dr. Shaun Grassel is an enrolled member of and a Wildlife Biologist for the Lower Brule Sioux Tribe. He has worked for his Tribe for nearly 25 years on the conservation and management of wildlife species. Shaun’s work includes monitoring population trends of game species and focal non-game species, conducting research, and assisting in administrative duties and the development of policy. Shaun and his team are self-supported – having raised all required funding for his work from external sources for over 15 years. Shaun has a Bachelor of Science and a Master of Science degree in Wildlife and Fisheries Sciences from South Dakota State University and a Doctoral degree in Natural Resources from the University of Idaho. Shaun spends his free time managing his 150-head cow/calf ranch and raising native grasses for seed production.

Patrick Lendrum, PhD Talks Coexistence, Adventure and Cougars

In this webinar, Patrick Lendrum, Senior Science Specialist for World Wildlife Fund, will be sharing a glimpse into the secret lives of mountain lions and what 10+ years of research from Panthera’s Puma Program uncovered in and around Grand Teton National Park. The Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem is home to a complete suite of large carnivores including cougars, black bears, grizzly bears, and wolves, all of which compete for food and space making this a unique landscape. There is also a robust prey population of elk, deer, bighorn sheep, and a few others that might surprise you. And, as in most places, wildlife must navigate the influence humans have on the landscape from development and multiple land uses including grazing and hunting. In this presentation, Patrick will provide an overview of cougar habitat use, prey selection, social behavior, population dynamics and what influence wolves and humans have on the mountain lions of the region.

In case you missed it, watch it now!

Patrick Lendrum

Patrick Lendrum is the Senior Science Specialist for World Wildlife Fund’s (WWF) Northern Great Plains (NGP) Program. He leads the development of science priorities for the program, implementing projects to answer key scientific questions that address the loss of native grasslands and the impacts that these losses may have on the wildlife and human communities that depend on them. Patrick also oversees the measurement of progress toward the NGP Program’s conservation goals and partnerships with a variety of stakeholders in order to develop shared conservation solutions.

Prior to joining WWF Patrick earned his M.S. and Ph.D. examining the effects of human-caused land use change on wildlife communities and ways to minimize disturbance while promoting sustainable development. He has worked across the western US in a variety of habitats spanning costal rainforests to prairie grasslands, with species ranging from insects to grizzly bears. Patrick has partnered with State, Federal, Private, and NGO entities to build large-scale collaborations in diverse working landscapes. The research Patrick has been involved with has been featured in National Geographic Magazine, BBC documentaries, and published in numerous peer-reviewed scientific articles. He is thrilled to now be conducting applied science that contributes towards WWF’s mission of securing a future that meets the needs of humans and nature.

Nebraska Game and Parks Commission approves 2022 hunt

For immediate release

Date :  June 11, 2021

Contact:  
Debra Chase, CEO, Mountain Lion Foundation
DChase@mountainlion.org
916-442-2666 ext. 103

Nebraska Game and Parks Commission approves 2022 hunt

Chadron, NE – On June 11, the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission voted unanimously to approve a 2022 mountain lion hunt in the state’s Pine Ridge region. Nebraska’s mountain lion population in the region is far too small to sustain a hunt and permitting a hunt at all is overly aggressive, unsustainable, and jeopardizing their long-term viability.

As of 2019, the mountain lion population in the Pine Ridge was estimated at 34 individuals, including kittens. This number does not include the 11 lions killed in the 2020 and 2021 seasons. When you factor in lions removed by hunters, the population size dwindles to 23. If 2/3 of the population is of adult age, then the population proposed to be hunted is closer to 15 individuals. This estimate does not include lions that may have been killed by other sources of human-caused mortality.

“Allowing trophy hunters to target such a small population is poor management and is not supported by science,” stated Denise Peterson, Conservation Advocate for the Mountain Lion Foundation. She continued, “Mountain lions have only recently reclaimed this small portion of their former range. Permitting this hunt threatens their long-term survival in the state and is not supported by the majority of Nebraskans.”

We asked the Commission to stop the hunt to preserve the few mountain lions that remain in Nebraska. Despite our request, feedback from the public, and science that shows that hunting such a small population threatens its long-term viability, the hunt will move forward. However, our fight is not over. We will continue to our efforts in Nebraska until mountain lions are protected from poor management decisions such as this.

If you want to support our efforts or get involved in Nebraska, visit MountainLion.org.

Founded in 1986, the Mountain Lion Foundation is a national nonprofit organization with a mission to ensure that America’s lion survives and flourishes in the wild.