Governor Rejects Increased Cougar Hunting Quotas
Gov. Jay Inslee has reversed a decision by the Washington Fish and Wildlife Commission to increase cougar hunting quotas in areas inhabited by wolves. Credit: Wikimedia Commons.
October 21, 2015
OLYMPIA, Wash. - Cougar hunting quotas are not going up. Gov. Jay Inslee has overturned a state wildlife panel's decision to increase the percentage of cougars that can in hunted in areas also inhabited by wolves.
Dan Paul, Washington state director for The Humane Society of the United States, said they asked Inslee to intervene because the quotas were increased without first hearing from the public.
"It's really nice to see the appreciation of the public process, which was clearly in violation here," Paul said, "as well as really using science to manage our wildlife and not fear mongering."
The governor's decision on Monday reverses the Washington Fish and Wildlife Commission's decision to increase the quotas 17 percent to 21 percent. Paul said the lower quota of 12 percent to 16 percent satisfies hunters without doing permanent damage to the cougar population.
Killing more cougars goes against the state's own research about balancing the cougar population to minimize conflict with people and livestock, Paul said.
"We did about 13 years of study at Washington State University to come up with these numbers," he said. "It was recommended by the department's own biologists to keep the numbers at 12 to 16 percent, which would be the most effective in keeping the population stable and also avoiding conflict."
Paul said killing more of the larger, "trophy" cats will disrupt the cougar population.
"That allows younger males to move in, but then they'll have conflict over the area," he said. "And so that'll boot out the weaker of the two cougars and they'll typically then run into conflicts either going into cities and towns or they'll have to switch to a prey base like livestock."
The Washington Fish and Wildlife Commission decided this spring to increase the quotas to provide relief to communities bothered by wolves and other predators.
Dan Paul, Washington state director for The Humane Society of the United States, said they asked Inslee to intervene because the quotas were increased without first hearing from the public.
"It's really nice to see the appreciation of the public process, which was clearly in violation here," Paul said, "as well as really using science to manage our wildlife and not fear mongering."
The governor's decision on Monday reverses the Washington Fish and Wildlife Commission's decision to increase the quotas 17 percent to 21 percent. Paul said the lower quota of 12 percent to 16 percent satisfies hunters without doing permanent damage to the cougar population.
Killing more cougars goes against the state's own research about balancing the cougar population to minimize conflict with people and livestock, Paul said.
"We did about 13 years of study at Washington State University to come up with these numbers," he said. "It was recommended by the department's own biologists to keep the numbers at 12 to 16 percent, which would be the most effective in keeping the population stable and also avoiding conflict."
Paul said killing more of the larger, "trophy" cats will disrupt the cougar population.
"That allows younger males to move in, but then they'll have conflict over the area," he said. "And so that'll boot out the weaker of the two cougars and they'll typically then run into conflicts either going into cities and towns or they'll have to switch to a prey base like livestock."
The Washington Fish and Wildlife Commission decided this spring to increase the quotas to provide relief to communities bothered by wolves and other predators.
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http://www.predatordefense.org/docs/cougars_biologist_weighs_in_November_2010.pdf
Top Cougar Biologist Weighs in on Oregon’s Cougar Management Plan Posted by Predator Defense, www.predatordefense.org, November 2010 In his report on the Oregon Cougar Management Plan, Dr. Robert Wielgus, Director of the Large Carnivore Conservation Lab at Washington State University, asserted that the Plan, adopted by the Oregon Fish and Wildlife Commission in April 2006, lacks any scientific credibility. He contends that the authors must go back to the drawing board and begin again. “The authors should consult with reputable wildlife scientists and statisticians to obtain a reliable experimental design, analysis, and report. We recommend they consult with Scientists at Oregon State University, University of Oregon, or another research university to design a scientifically credible study.
” Further, he contends that no valid scientific conclusions supporting the beneficial effects of administrative removal of cougars can be drawn from this study. There was no scientific evidence presented that administrative removals achieved any of the stated goals (reduced complaints, livestock depredations, and increased number of elk calves).
Dr. Wielgus’ comments support those made by well-known cougar biologists during the comment period when the Cougar Plan was first introduced in 2005. The Fish and Wildlife Commission chose to ignore scientific concerns and criticisms of the Plan’s population model and methodology, and unanimously approved it. Sadly, the Plan has succeeded in its single focus: to increase cougar killing as much as possible. It is ironic that the purported purpose of the Plan is to increase public safety for two reasons. First, the current target areas, all in remote eastern Oregon, are intended exclusively to kill more cougars in an effort to assist deer and elk hunters by removing competition from cougars and to assist livestock growers using public and private land.
Secondly, research studies in Washington have shown that increased cougar removal/killing actually exacerbates risk to the public by creating an unnatural number of juvenile cougars in the population. Juveniles have been shown to be the age class most frequently involved in conflicts with people. Although there has never been a documented attack on a person by a cougar in the state of Oregon, the ODFW may be pushing its luck by continuing to manage cougars in a manner that science has found increases cougar-human conflicts. This management strategy puts public safety at risk in favor of deer and elk hunting and livestock production.
Listen to the commentary by Dr. Wielgus by clicking on the link below:
Effects of Sport Hunting on Cougar Population, Community, and Landscape Ecology
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