Cougars and Bobcat and Lynx

Oh My!

Yeah, yeah, I know it’s lions and tigers and bears, but the concept is the same - three predator species that we are trying to control.

This blog is a slight departure from my usual “all about the pets” sort of spiel.

This one is about our animal friends, especially here in Colorado, who are getting a Very. Bad. Deal.

Cougars (or as they’re called here in Colorful Colorado, Mountain Lions) are being trophy hunted. You know what that means? Somebody pays a “guide” up to $8,000 for the privilege of putting a bullet between the eyes (if they’re lucky) of a treed animal. Treed. Without a way to get away. A sitting duck (or in this case, a sitting Cougar.) This hardly seems fair.

Photo by Nicky Pe

First of all, these Cougars are living in the mountains, minding their own business. Cougars want nothing to do with humans if they can help it (very wise). They have their territory, sometimes up to 50 square miles, and they hunt in that territory. They go after deer, mostly, but will also hunt other prey animals (like rabbits and voles) if they’re hungry. Nothing beats a deer for dinner, though. 

These cougars are most likely between 2 and 3 years old, maybe a little older, but they’re the new generation. The old, infirm ones die off. (Those older cats are also the ones who will sometimes come onto a human’s land for easy pickings, because they just can’t run fast enough to catch those fleet-footed deer any more.) The Cougars being trophy hunted are male and female. The females, especially at this time of year, have kittens, who are literally helpless without their mama. A cougar kitten will stay with mom up to two years while they learn the ropes. If mama’s gone, especially when they’re young, they’re toast. They don’t know how to survive.

Here’s what happens. The guide and the “hunter” (and I use the term loosely) follow a team of dogs who are trained to find and tree a cougar. Those dogs have GPS systems attached to themselves, so once they find a cougar, there is no way that cat can escape. The guide and hunter get to the tree, the cat is looking down (probably looking for a way to get away, but with dogs all around that’s not happening), the hunter aims his high powered rifle and pulls the trigger. Cat dies, and becomes a head on a wall and maybe even a rug in front of the fireplace. 

This is not hunting. This is slaughter of an innocent animal, who is not bothering anyone and only wants to live out its life in the mountains FAR AWAY from humanity. 

There are ethical hunters out there, the ones who track on their own, use bow and arrow and maybe rifle, and who hunt, truly hunt, for food and for the thrill of the chase, I suspect. They don’t go after Cougars. We are, after all, a predator species ourselves, and in some that predator streak runs deep. I’m not a fan of hunting and used to be against any form of hunting, but I’ve since changed my mind. Do I want to hunt? Only with a camera. Do I understand why others might want to do that sort of hunting? In a vague sort of way. It’s not my jam. 

I believe that ethical hunters always honor the animal they’re pursuing, at least that’s my hope. I’ll continue to believe it.

Trophy hunting, on the other hand, is nothing more than power over. It is cruel and unfair, and the animal is literally terrorized and has no chance to escape. I cannot fathom doing that to another being.

People who trophy hunt will tell you that they’re helping the ecology by ridding it of too many predators. To this I say, BU!!$#1T!! Look at the facts. Places that have outlawed trophy hunting have had no problems with overpopulation of said predators. The predators are smart. If there’s not enough food, there are fewer predators. Nature has a way of taking care of itself. It’s the humans who muck it up.

Here’s a place where you can find all sorts of science to support leaving our predators alone: https://catsarenttrophies.org/science/ Tons of studies have been done which demonstrate that these inoffensive apex predators, when left to their own devices, stay away from humans and are completely capable of maintaining a balance between themselves and the rest of nature.

Colorado is one of 14 states that still allows this barbaric practice. I’m ashamed to live here, and at the same time I’m doing something about it. An organization called CAT (Cats Aren’t Trophies) has started a petition to get a measure on the November ballot to outlaw Trophy hunting in Colorado. ONLY trophy hunting, and the trapping of bobcats and lynx for their fur (we haven’t even touched on this, but if you check out the CATs website (https://catsarenttrophies.org), you’ll find more information about the cruel and inhuman way these animals are trapped. Do it.)

So what am I doing? I have stepped ‘waaaaay out of my comfort zone and am collecting signatures for the petition. 

I’m an introvert. My idea of a good time is to sit on the couch and read a book, or go to the barn and talk to the bunny family that lives there. Approaching strangers to ask them to sign a petition is very scary territory. 

But the Cougar is one of my power animals. I’ve loved the big cats since I was big enough to realize cats came in different sizes. I found I couldn’t sit back and hope for the best. So I do what I can. Maybe the few signatures I collect will be the ones that push us over the magic number.

What can you do? (Yes, I’m asking for help). Because this is a petition to put a measure on the ballot, all of the signatures have to be witnessed, so there is no online way to do it. You have to find a live person with the right form.

We need 175,000 signatures of people who care about the environment and how we operate within it, so we can get the measure on the ballot and vote this horrible practice out of existence in Colorado. If you live in Colorado and haven’t already signed, we’re all over the place - check out large gatherings. If you’re going to a concert at Red Rocks, there may be someone in the parking lot looking for you to sign. (I’ll be at James Taylor on June 3 and Sarah MacLachlan on June 7). Find someone who will take your signature. 

I’ll also be at Purrfect Pause Cat Cafe in Boulder on June 8 with my clipboard and “volunteer circulator” badge. I’ll be there from late morning until mid-afternoon - come on by! Not only is it a great place, you’ll meet some cool cats who live at the cafe AND make a difference to our Cougar, Bobcat and Lynx population.

Volunteer yourself - if you ask your friends and family for a few signatures, we’re ahead! You don’t have to go out and stand in front of a grocery store and ask for signatures (unless you’re an extrovert and that sounds like fun to you - then do it! Call me! I’ll join you. It’s easier in pairs, especially if one of us - you - is extroverted. A quick shout out to my friend Annette, who is an extrovert par excellence and is going with me to the James Taylor concert parking area. I love her.)

If you don’t live in Colorado but know someone who does, share this blog with them. 

The worst that can happen is they’ll think you’re weird. But you’re reading this blog - it’s a foregone conclusion that you’re an animal lover. 

We have only a few weeks to make this happen - EVERY signature helps. We have thousands to go, and a short time to get there. So help your furry predator friends out. And thank you.

For more information, feel free to contact me at 720-737-0495, [email protected], or go out to https://catsarenttrophies.org to volunteer.