Mountain lions are important to a healthy Rocky Mountain ecosystem, with females critical to the long-term survival of the species. But despite the vital role that female lions play, data from the Colorado Division of Wildlife show that 45% of all the lions killed by sport hunters since 1995 were females (1,649 animals).
When female lions are hunted and killed, their orphaned kittens typically die from starvation, given that kittens are dependent on their mothers for their first six to nine months of life. Fortunately, things are changing for mountain lions in Colorado—but not quickly enough.
Thanks to the 2,500 letters and emails people like you sent to ColoradoÂ’s Wildlife Commission last year, we achieved a 28% reduction in the annual hunting quota for mountain lions. We applaud the Commission for taking this important step, but the current quota system may still threaten the long-term health of ColoradoÂ’s cougar population, due to the potential over-hunting of females. Last year, the Wildlife Commission asked sport hunters to voluntarily reduce the number of female lions killed; but data show that the number of females killed last year actually increased.
ThatÂ’s why we urgently need your help to protect the female cougars of Colorado! The Wildlife Commission's hearing on the mountain lion hunting quota is set for November 3rd, and citizen letters must be received by October 20th.
Please urge the Colorado Wildlife Commission to set regulations during the 2006 hunting season that will protect female lions from over-hunting and reduce the orphaning of kittens.
We signed the “Protect Colorado’s Female Cougars and Their Kittens” petition!
# 4,703:
8:27 pm PDT, Aug 22,Kira Bacal, Texas
# 4,702:
1:47 am PDT, Aug 18,Patricia Osborne, New York
# 4,701:
1:58 pm PDT, Aug 8,Nat Perry, Kansas
# 4,700:
5:22 pm PDT, Aug 4,Joshua Neese, Indiana
# 4,699:
9:53 pm PDT, Aug 1,Elijah Stutes, Hawaii
# 4,698:
2:52 am PDT, Jul 31,Roxie Schliesmann, Wisconsin
# 4,697:
5:40 pm PDT, Jul 29,Darlene Davis, Michigan
# 4,696:
7:09 pm PDT, Jul 27,Jennifer Bland, Arkansas
# 4,695:
3:09 pm PDT, Jul 26,Lamentable Heart, Alabama
# 4,694:
12:15 pm PDT, Jul 26,Carmen Collyns, Maryland
Although mountain lions may seem like scary predators, they are very important to their ecosystem by controlling other animal populations (top-down control). These species should be protected!
# 4,693:
3:03 pm PDT, Jul 22,Dana Szemereta, North Carolina
# 4,692:
8:54 pm PDT, Jul 17,Morgan Cohen-Ross, Illinois
# 4,691:
1:35 pm PDT, Jul 15,Ashley Dipchan, Canada
# 4,690:
1:43 am PDT, Jul 5,William Harper, Georgia
# 4,689:
5:18 pm PDT, Jul 1,Melissa Yerger, Pennsylvania
I think all mountain lions should be protected because they have been here all the time. It is all the over developement of housing that is taking away their environment and causing them to move closer to where humans are. They are a beautiful cat of nature that deserves to be protected.
# 4,688:
6:24 am PDT, Jun 23,Dianne Martin, Australia
# 4,687:
3:16 am PDT, Jun 23,Name not displayed, Alabama
# 4,686:
7:28 am PDT, Jun 16,Hazel Matich, Illinois
# 4,685:
9:55 pm PDT, Jun 12,Alexandria Burough, California
The mountain lions deserve to live in their own enviroment.
# 4,684:
8:14 pm PDT, May 25,Ruth Blackwell, Virginia
# 4,683:
11:00 pm PDT, May 24,Derek Anderson, Ohio
These are God's beautiful creaturs and no one should have the right to hunt or kill them period. It's not a sport if you want to make it a sport then hunt the animal with just a knife and let's even the odds shall we? Then let's see who wins? :)
# 4,682:
11:27 am PDT, May 22,Darla Taylor, Texas
We need to protect Mountain Lions, especially the mothers and their kittens. Since the mothers often leave their kittens in the den while hunting it is difficult to know if a Mountain Lion is a mother. Upon the killing of a female Mountain Lion, there is often as many as 3 or 4 kittens who are then left orphaned. This is a terrible tragedy and needs to be stopped. Mountain Lions in general need to protected, there are not as many of them left in the wild as some would like us to believe; female Mountain Lions especially need to be protected. We need to take a stand and protect this magnificent creature!
# 4,681:
11:49 am PDT, May 7,Carolyn Leath-Watson, Canada
# 4,680:
3:49 am PDT, May 5,Warren Motter, New York
# 4,679:
2:16 pm PDT, May 4,Kathleen Robertson, California
# 4,678:
8:42 pm PDT, Apr 27,TAYLOR WEIDNER, Colorado
# 4,677:
5:02 pm PDT, Apr 24,Cassandra Mirabal, Colorado
Being my ultimate favorite creature on this entire planet, they NEED our protection. These fabulous carnivores need to last many, many, MANY generations from now and without protection, they will not. Please help!
# 4,676:
11:32 pm PDT, Apr 22,Sara Boissonnault, New Hampshire
# 4,675:
8:15 pm PDT, Apr 22,Pauline Houzard, Guadeloupe
# 4,674:
11:25 am PDT, Apr 20,Laura Horning, Ohio
# 4,673:
8:44 am PDT, Apr 20,Robert Jones, Pennsylvania
# 4,672:
6:12 pm PDT, Apr 19,Melissa Bardwell, Washington
# 4,671:
12:47 pm PDT, Apr 19,Dusty Washburn, Florida
# 4,670:
5:57 am PDT, Apr 17,Diane Campion, Florida
# 4,669:
8:47 pm PDT, Apr 13,Name not displayed, California
# 4,668:
11:16 am PDT, Apr 12,Laura Guman, Wisconsin
# 4,667:
2:39 am PDT, Apr 12,Caroline Bissey, New Zealand
# 4,666:
8:28 am PDT, Apr 11,Nicky Elizabeth, Maine
# 4,665:
9:45 pm PDT, Apr 10,Fiona Lee, California
# 4,664:
7:42 am PDT, Apr 10,Angelika Tanha, Germany
# 4,663:
5:58 pm PDT, Apr 9,Roger Williams, Texas
# 4,662:
6:00 am PDT, Apr 9,Inge Boey, Belgium
Mountain lions are put on earth for a reason. They are one of the predators to keep wildlife in balance. Why should you kill those magnificent animals. No reasom for it. They were here long before us and deserve a life in peace. Just give me one good reason. Is it for profit? Decline their natural habitat for housebuilding? You don't like them? F- YOU FAILED!! there is NO reason what so ever to kill those animals!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
# 4,661:
3:45 pm PDT, Apr 7,Anthony Montapert, California
# 4,660:
2:35 pm PDT, Apr 7,Victoria Holley, Florida
Protection of the female mountain lion will ensure that the species has a continued chance of survival in it's natural environment. After all, they were here before us and guns...
