Protect Colorado’s Female Cougars and Their Kittens

  • by: Sinapu
  • recipient: Colorado Wildlife Commission

Photo by Richard Badger.
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 Colorado’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 Colorado’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.

That’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.

Dear Commissioners,

I live in [your city], Colorado, and am writing to request that the Colorado Wildlife Commission and the Division of Wildlife use scientific management to protect mountain lions from over-hunting, especially mother lions with dependent kittens.

Female cougars are the cornerstone of cougar conservation. They produce few kittens and spend significant time and energy raising their young. Moreover, kittens that are younger than six to nine months old will die of starvation if their mothers are hunted and killed. Yet data from the Colorado Division of Wildlife show that 45% of all the lions killed by hunters since 1995 were females.

While I am very pleased by the Commission’s decision last year to reduce the annual hunting quota by 28%, I urge the Wildlife Commission to require the Colorado Division of Wildlife to go one step further and set scientifically-based sub-quotas for female lions for each of Colorado's cougar data analysis units, in order to protect mothers and their dependent young from over-hunting.

Although it is possible for hunters to determine if a mountain lion is a female, it is difficult to know if that female is a mother. Therefore, it makes sense to protect female mountain lions from over-hunting by setting hunting regulations addressing the killing of female cats.

[your comment here]

In addition, I strongly urge the Wildlife Commission to establish minimum mandatory educational criteria for mountain lion hunters so they can learn to distinguish between male and female cats. In accordance with sound wildlife management practices, we also ask the Division of Wildlife to periodically test lion hunters before issuing hunting licenses.

These enhancements to Colorado's wildlife management plan for mountain lions would significantly improve our chances of ensuring a healthy population of Colorado's native lions for generations to come. Thank you for acting to conserve our natural heritage!

Sincerely,
[Your name]
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