Tag: Trapping

Colorado Senate Considers Ending Cougar Hunting

For immediate release

Date: February 4, 2022

Contact:
Logan Christian, Region II Conservation Advocate, Mountain Lion Foundation
lchristian@mountainlion.org
916-442-2666 ext. 108

Colorado Senate Considers Ending Cougar Hunting

Denver, Colorado – On Thursday, February 3, the Colorado Senate held a hearing for S.B. 31, the bill to end the recreational hunting of mountain lions, bobcats and Canada lynx in Colorado. While hunting groups stormed the capitol to protect their ability to kill Colorado’s wild cats, a broad coalition of conservation groups urged the Colorado Senate Agriculture Committee to bring the state in line with the best science and end the hunt. The committee ultimately voted 4-1 against the bill this year, but called for more detailed information from state agencies and deeper consideration of the hunt going forward.

Conservation organizations including Mountain Lion Foundation, Humane Society of the United States, WildEarth Guardians and Animal Welfare Institute testified in support of the bill, highlighting research that hunting is not needed to manage wildcats. Josh Rosenau, Conservation Advocate for Mountain Lion Foundation, explained, “For too long, mountain lions have been subject to consistent annual killing, despite evidence that hunting is not necessary to regulate their populations, exacerbates conflicts with humans, and hinders their roles in natural ecosystems.”

Many who testified against S.B. 31 posited that sportsmen should be allowed to continue hunting these species since hunting tags help fund wildlife conservation. Responding to these arguments, Rosenau stated, “[Sportsmen] disregard the contributions of non-consumptive wildlife users through general tax revenue, user fees and direct donations. Moreover, wildlife management is not a pay-to-play game. The first tenet of the North American Model of Wildlife Conservation states that wildlife resources are a public trust to be managed by governments for the benefit of all citizens. Just over 5% of Colorado residents are hunters, and a very small fraction of those hunt wild cats. Compare that to over two-thirds of state residents who do not support the recreational hunting and trapping of wild cats.”

Many sportsmen also stated that S.B. 31 would take management away from experts at Colorado Parks & Wildlife. Logan Christian, another Conservation Advocate for Mountain Lion Foundation, clarified that this would not occur under the bill. “The expertise of CPW staff has been invaluable for understanding wildcat populations, responding to human-wild cat conflicts, and educating the public about human-wild cat coexistence. All of these activities would continue under S.B. 31. What hunters are really saying is that managers should focus on providing hunting opportunities, but hunting is only one of many considerations that wildlife managers must balance. Their primary mandate is sustaining all wildlife populations for the benefit of current and future generations.”

Senators who voted against the bill raised questions about its fiscal impact, and requested detailed information about mountain lion populations on the fly during the hearing. Despite her opposition, Committee Chair Donovan explained that she was nonetheless impressed with the arguments from both sides. “What was unique about this bill is that the majority of the emails were not form letters, they were people sitting down and writing their thoughts. You can tell people are being thoughtful about this issue on both sides.

Responding to her fellow senators requests for population information, Senator Jaquez Lewis, the bill sponsor and sole person who voted for S.B. 31, explained that Colorado Parks & Wildlife mostly uses harvest data to assess the population, which doesn’t accurately capture how many wildcats are on the landscape. She also stated that she hopes to address some of these questions with a future bill. “If I had done it again I would have a component to gather more information about big cat populations.” She went on to say, “While CPW doesn’t have reliable data, we’ve really shown a light that that’s where we need to go. I hope in the future I can bring a bill to you that helps address where we need to go.”

CPW is currently experimenting with new mountain lion population monitoring methods that use GPS collaring and camera trapping to better understand the state’s mountain lion population. Christian, who has communicated with CPW staff about this research, stated, “We support these new population monitoring efforts by CPW and hope that the agency will not rely on harvest data to assess populations as has been done in the past. CPW will continue to be an important player in mountain lion research and management, even if recreational hunting of the species is eventually banned.”

Colorado legislators introduce S.B. 31, a bill to protect mountain lions, bobcats and Canada lynx from hunting

For immediate release

Date: January 14, 2022

Contact:
Logan Christian, Region 2 Conservation Advocate, Mountain Lion Foundation
Lchristian@mountainlion.org
916-442-2666 ext. 108

Colorado legislators introduce S.B. 31, a bill to protect mountain lions, bobcats and Canada lynx from hunting.

Colorado – On Thursday, January 13, Colorado legislators introduced S.B. 31, a bill that would end the hunting and trapping of mountain lions, bobcats and Canada lynx in the state of Colorado. Sen. Sonya Jaquez Lewis (Boulder County), Sen. Joann Ginal (Fort Collins), Rep. Monica Duran (Wheat Ridge) and Rep. Judy Amabile (Boulder) are championing the legislation.

In Colorado, hundreds of mountain lions and thousands of bobcats are killed each year. Hounds are used to chase and corner lions to be shot by a hunter, while traps are commonly used to capture bobcats and shoot them at close range. The bill would end this recreational hunting and trapping of these two species, while also protecting the Canada lynx in case it loses its protection under the Endangered Species Act in the future.

Polling data from Colorado shows that more than two-thirds of Coloradans oppose the hunting of these wild cat species. The public has long viewed the pursuit of wild cats as ‘trophy hunting,’ where the primary motivation is to capture and kill animals for bragging rights or displaying the carcass, even if the meat is consumed. In addition to public support, a broad coalition of wildlife conservation organizations are supporting S.B. 31, including Mountain Lion Foundation, Humane Society of the United States, Animal Welfare Institute, the Center for Biological Diversity, Project Coyote, Sierra Club Colorado, WildEarth Guardians and Boulder Bear Coalition.

Logan Christian, Region 2 Conservation Advocate for Mountain Lion Foundation, said, “We are proud to support S.B. 31 and applaud the legislators who are taking this bold effort to end the hunting and trapping of Colorado’s wild cats. Hunting disturbs the social structure of mountain lions and other wild cats, often exacerbating conflicts between these species and humans. Colorado’s wild cats already face mounting threats from highways, urban expansion and climate change. Removing hunting as an additional source of mortality will help protect the long-term persistence of these species.”

Sen. Sonya Jaquez Lewis from Boulder County, one of the legislators who introduced the bill, said, “We know that 72% of Colorado residents believe that our state’s beautiful mountain lions and bobcats should not be hunted as trophies, yet, hunters kill hundreds each year. Mountain lions self-regulate their population sizes and very few livestock are killed by them in Colorado. We do not need to be hunting these gorgeous animals for sport in our state.”

The bill includes exemptions for killing wild cats when necessary to protect livestock, public safety or to euthanize an injured animal.

For updates from Mountain Lion Foundation on how to support this legislation, sign up at mountainlion.org/join-us.

All paws on deck: The movement to end trapping is far from over

All paws on deck: The movement to end trapping is far from over

By Logan Christian and Josh Rosenau

Early this year, New Mexico enacted Roxy’s Law, a policy that restricts almost all forms of wildlife trapping on the state’s public land. This law will help end considerable animal suffering in the state, not only for “furbearing” species but also for unintentionally captured endangered species and pets.

Roxy

Roxy’s Law is named for a dog whose death galvanized the movement against trapping in New Mexico. Recently, a New Mexico court dismissed a range of wildlife crimes facing Marty Cordova, whose illegally placed traps killed Roxy. Officials from New Mexico Department of Game and Fish and the Bureau of Land Management mishandled evidence by deleting numerous photos and not collecting the implicated traps.

Only if law enforcement gives it teeth can Roxy’s Law take a bite out of illegal trapping. In addition to clearer enforcement guidelines, the new law needs a longer reach to stamp out this cruelty and protect our pets and wildlife. Trapping remains legal on all of New Mexico’s private lands, and throughout most private and public lands in the vast majority of states.

For decades, wildlife agencies have viewed trapping as a way to protect desirable game populations. Eleven states allow the trapping of mountain lions, whether by wildlife agency officials, federal Wildlife Services, or private contractors. Nationally, thousands of coyotes and other carnivores are trapped every year, with no evidence of any benefit for game species, and regardless of the social and ecological benefits carnivores provide.

Fortunately, change is coming, even within the livestock industry, once a major advocate for trapping. Many livestock producers do not see trapping as the only way to meet their objectives. From 2000 to 2015, the percentage of producers who use non-lethal predator deterrence methods grew six-fold from 3% to 19%. Non-lethal deterrence often proves more effective and cheaper in the long run compared to trapping.

Professional trappers are changing their views, too. Carter Niemeyer grew up trapping for federal agencies, “a hired gun for the livestock industry,” as he puts it. But after 26 years of that work, he went from hunting wolves, cougars, and other carnivores, to helping return wolves to the West. As he came to see that killing those animals didn’t cure anything, Niemeyer rethought the value of trapping. “I know now,” he writes, “that most of the predator killing I did was unjustified.” He follows a new path now, as have many other trappers. He doesn’t reject what trapping was, just doesn’t see it as the future for himself or wildlife. “Trapping was everything to me. I wouldn’t take back most of what I did. After all, it taught me almost everything I know about wildlife. But that doesn’t mean I’m the same now.”

Neither are New Mexicans. Trapping may be an important to some, but the majority of New Mexicans supported a trapping ban for decades before Roxy’s Law passed. New Mexico shows what the movement to end trapping can accomplish, but also highlights how far we have to go. To win this battle, wildlife advocates need to keep working with agriculture producers, sportsmen, and agency officials who see that trapping isn’t a solution, but a problem. If the movement can do that, it might just prevail.

Logan Christian and Josh Rosenau are Conservation Advocates with the Mountain Lion Foundation, a National non-profit organization.

New Mexico Department of Game and Fish votes to amend the Furbearer rule to align with a new law that bans trapping on New Mexico’s public lands

For immediate release

Date: October 26, 2021

Contact:
Logan Christian, Conservation Advocate, Mountain Lion Foundation
Lchristian@mountainlion.org
916-442-2666 ext. 108

New Mexico Department of Game and Fish votes to amend the Furbearer rule prohibiting all “sports harvest” trapping on New Mexico public land.

Las Cruces, NM – On Friday, October 22, 2021, New Mexico Department of Game and Fish (NMDGF) Commission approved changes to the Furbearer rule (19.32.2 NMAC) with a 5-0 vote. These changes conform to statutory requirements set forth in New Mexico Senate Bill 32, the Wildlife Conservation and Public Safety Act. The Act, better known as Roxy’s Law, was passed in March 2021 and prohibits all trapping on New Mexico’s public lands.

Overall, the rule change conformed to the Act’s statutory requirements. However, the Mountain Lion Foundation (MLF) and other members of the coalition Trap Free New Mexico signed and delivered a comment letter authored by Chris Smith of WildEarth Guradians outlining certain concerns coalition members have related to future enforcement of the rule. The letter clarified that existing closures will not be opened to any sport harvest trapping and that depredation trapping shall only be carried out as specified under exemptions in the Act. The letter also acknowledged that NMDGF will work with New Mexico Indian Affairs Department to ensure that exemptions for religious or ceremonial trapping will be carried out in a lawful and respectful way consistent with federal procedures for recognizing tribes, nations, and pueblos.

Logan Christian, Conservation Advocate for Mountain Lion Foundation in New Mexico, delivered a verbal comment at Friday’s Commission meeting affirming MLF’s support for the proposed changes. In line with the comment letter, MLF also urged the NMDGF to ensure that any future publications or communications make clear that the exemptions in the Act do not open any public land to “sport harvest” trapping.

MLF will closely monitor the new Furbearer rule as implementation and enforcement begins. New Mexico is setting an example for other states, and MLF and other Trap Free New Mexico coalition members hope that this is the first of many states to ban trapping on public land for the benefit of both public safety and wildlife.

Wildlife on public lands in New Mexico are now safe from trappers!

Wildlife on public lands in New Mexico are now safe from trappers! New Mexico Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham signed into law Senate Bill 32!! This bill bans traps, snares, and poisons on public lands across New Mexico.

For over a decade there has been a battle to get trapping devices off of public lands in New Mexico. We are thrilled to see this tireless work finally pay off. Now our public lands in New Mexico are safer for wildlife, people and pets. It couldn’t have been done without you!

Thank you all for the support!

Our thanks also go out the many organizations in the Trap Free New Mexico coalition:  Wild Earth Guardians, Rio Grande Chapter of Sierra Club, Animal Protection Voters, Southwest Environmental Center, New Mexico Wild, Project Coyote, Center for Biological Diversity, Conservation Voters of New Mexico, Endangered Species Coalition, Amigos Bravos, Defenders of Wildlife, and Sandia Mountain Bearwatch.

We are so grateful for everyone’s hard work.