COUGAR REWILDING'S RESPONSE TO NEBRASKA'S PLAN TO HUNT PUMAS
Nebraska Game & Parks concludes
their 2013 Recommendations for Mountain Lion Hunting
with these words:
their 2013 Recommendations for Mountain Lion Hunting
with these words:
"The Commission intends to manage mountain
lion populations over time with consideration
given to social acceptance, effects on prey
populations, depredation on pets and livestock,
and human safety."
lion populations over time with consideration
given to social acceptance, effects on prey
populations, depredation on pets and livestock,
and human safety."
Conducting neither public attitude surveys about
cougars, nor providing cougar deer predation data
(the deer population appears to be robust), nor
providing data on pet and livestock damage from
cougars (there have been no incidents documented in
Nebraska), nor has there been a single incident of a
cougar predating a person informing the Commission's recommendations. Absent examples of conflict in the
document, the Cougar Rewilding Foundation has
requested information on all these "considerations,"
but Nebraska Game & Parks has provided none.
They didn't even respond.
cougars, nor providing cougar deer predation data
(the deer population appears to be robust), nor
providing data on pet and livestock damage from
cougars (there have been no incidents documented in
Nebraska), nor has there been a single incident of a
cougar predating a person informing the Commission's recommendations. Absent examples of conflict in the
document, the Cougar Rewilding Foundation has
requested information on all these "considerations,"
but Nebraska Game & Parks has provided none.
They didn't even respond.
Nebraska is targeting for reduction a stable and
recovering cougar population that has conducted
itself admirably. Why mess with it?
recovering cougar population that has conducted
itself admirably. Why mess with it?
Make no mistake, Nebraska Game and Parks are basing their Mountain Lion Hunting recommendations on fear and prejudice – not experience or science.
The agency has revised an earlier proposal to take two males or one female from a breeding population of 15-22 cats up to 4 cats with a 2 female sub quota (18% – 27% of the total estimate) in the Pine Ridge National Forest, with the stated aim of reducing the Pine Ridge population, while installing an unlimited year-round season for 85% of the state.
You know by now that taking more than 14% of a cougar population (average yearly reproduction rate) disrupts cougar social order, increasing the likelihood of the very things this proposal wishes to contain: conflicts among pets, livestock, people and cougars. The safest way to manage any cougar population is to leave it alone – cougars police themselves – taking problem individuals out at the source.
The Cougar Rewilding Foundation is not against hunting based on sound science. But once again, we have a state hunting proposal in a national forest – owned by every US taxpayer, not just Nebraskans – that ignores science. We might recommend a reduced quota, but given the bald refusal of peer-reviewed management guidelines, we're suggesting the Commissioners scrap this proposal and get honest, rather than sacrifice one cat as a compromise.
The next public hearing will take place Friday July 26, 2013 in Lincoln.
Write the Governor, the Commission(ers), and Supervisor of Nebraska's National Forests by Wednesday, July 24. The Cougar Fund has provided afact sheet with talking points, and a sample letter with addresses to all the necessary officials.
Comments are closed.
No comments:
Post a Comment