It's sad that they are losing their territory ....they can't be blamed for coming into inhabited areas...they need to eat too. It's a dilemma for sure....
Your definition of hunting and mine are different. Hunting not only provides opportunities for people to fulfill their hunting desires and for meat ( not cats of course unless you live in Asia :) ) but if strict seasonal guidelines are in enforced the population will thrive and be healthier.
Take the deer and elk herds. At the turn of the 20th century the elk herds were all but wiped out and deer were very sparse as well. Seasons were put in place with strict quotas and management techniques improved over the years to where the elk herds are at the desired capacity in the ranges they cover and there are more deer now in North America than when the pilgrims arrived.
The same logic applied to buffalo that were all but extinct and are now in good numbers albeit they will never be like before simply because their old range feeds our country now.
So when you speak of hunting make sure you define it to it proper meaning and not some knee-jerk PETA line of BS where you insinuate that thousands of people just run through the woods killing everything that moves. That only applies in Arkansas LOL. :)
When predatory wildlife prey on livestock they become vermin to be summarily executed.
Really? Has deer hunting completely eradicated deer? What do you think happens when these cats outbreed their available food supply? They go hungry and starve, or they move on to other prey--like us.
Controlled and regulated hunting that thins their numbers down to a level sustainable by the environment is what is needed. When deer populations explode because because of the lack of predators, you end up with a lot of sick, starving deer. Same with lions. They were nearly hunted out a 100 years ago, but they have bounced back.
Fish and Game departments need to determine how many cats are in each are and allow a reasonable number of hunting tags to be sold in areas where they may be a problem. Remember, money from hunting licenses funds much of the real environmentalism in this country.
You make think its sick that a trophy hunter wants the head on his wall, but he will be performing a necessary service, and his the money he pays for a tag will fund research and preservation of the species as a whole. Your excessive "kindness" will kill more cats through starvation and disease than the hunters will.
“Oh THAT makes sense...not. Hunting them will extinguish the population completely.”
Fawn,
I’ll fix your minor typo for you:
Oh THAT makes sense. Hunting them will extinguish the population completely...not.
Hunting does not completely extinguish the population, unless you are discussing a small population in a very limited area where in migration from other areas is possible.
THERE ARE SOME 32,000 COUGAR ! ! ! !
They are not in danger. Only in the twisted minds of enviro-socialists and their lawyer “fellow travelers” are cougar “endangered”.
When agenda fails you, try facts. Try ‘em, you might just like ‘em.
;-)