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Stop increasing the number of cougars killed in Utah!
Action needed! Only two days to speak up for Utah's cougars. Demand that Utah Wildlife Board members oppose an increase to the state's cougar hunt quota!
We can't believe it. Utah wildlife officials want to kill even more cougars! On August 22nd, the Utah Wildlife Board will vote on a proposal to increase cougar hunting permits. For the past few years, every year, the Utah Wildlife Board has voted to increase the cougar hunt quota. It is making the state a go-to destination for trophy hunters. This year they are proposing to increase the number of hunt permits to 678 for the 2019-2020 season. That's an extra 34 cats. With an estimated population of only 1,500 - 2,500 independent age cougars, it's too many!
Utah's cougar population cannot handle it. The state's annual trophy hunt is regularly criticized for its lack of sound science and sustainability. Experts have cautioned that the plan amounts to overhunting and could destabilize the population.
Hunting is no way to manage cougars. Hunts disrupt their sensitive social structures and have cascading impacts. Trophy hunts lead to more infighting (intraspecific conflict), and attacks on pets and livestock (depredation). And there's more reason than ever to believe that trophy hunting leads to increased human-wildlife conflict.
Trophy hunters tend to kill older established male cougars that protect females and their cubs, creating a void that younger males from surroundings regions quickly move in to fill. Younger males kill cubs to make room for their offspring and compete to establish territory. Defeated lions are either killed or pushed out – forced to find food wherever they can, increasing the probability of human conflict. Research has shown that breeding females will also avoid areas where hunting occurs, likely to protect their young and themselves from migrating threats. Dispersing females take their cubs outside their habitat and closer to areas where they are more prone to human conflicts.
Hunting is an ineffective and unnecessary way to manage cougar populations. We must oppose any increase to Utah's cougar hunt quota.
In addition to submitting a comment here, Utahns may attend the public meeting to voice their opposition to this proposal: Thursday, August 22nd, 9 a.m., Utah Department of Natural Resources, 1594 North Temple, Salt Lake City, UT 84114.
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