Cougar News Archives - The Cougar Fund

Please help us continue our work!

September 6, 2024/in Policy Comments, Blog, News, Cougar News, Uncategorized

We don’t ask for your help very often and that is because there is so much to do to educate, advocate, and support sound science in our mission to ‘Protect Americas’ Greatest Cat’

Every summer we give many programs and have a presence at community events. To date we have brought our message, in person, to more than 2500 people. 1000 of those have been children; in the local school system; at summer camps; from the Fort Washkie Reservation; and from the area surrounding the Fort Hall Reservation in Idaho.

Here are three short stories to help you understand how much we impact the public in their attitudes towards mountain lions, This leads to enthusiasm and willingness to stand up and be counted when it comes to participating in policy discussions with decision makers.

At the end of April, we were invited by the City of Pocatello to participate in their Environmental Fair. We had never been asked before and this opportunity came out of the blue. Pocatello is quite a trek-nearly 200 miles each way-and the weather was grim…overcast mixed with showers, heavy rain and very cool temperatures. We are nothing if not indomitable!

When we arrived and set up our booth we were told there had been a mountain lion in the local city park a few days earlier.

Perfect timing for our message to be undeniably relevant in everyday lives.

That day, more than 1000 people came out in the pouring rain (yes, it got worse the closer we got to our destination) and we were thrilled that for more than 6 hours our display continuously hosted folk interested in and receptive to the information we had about cougars. Everyone was incredibly interested in the natural history, behavior, ecological benefits, and social structure of mountain lions. They came to us with questions and the answers left them happier and more confident about living safely near lion country.

We provided our fun bear or cougar mask craft for children, and as they happily cut around the template and added the pipe cleaner whiskers, we were able to chat at length with their parents and other adults. We went through 300 masks and the accompanying friends and family members increased our outreach to more than 800. Such an amazing chance to turn local news into sound information and advocacy for our magnificent wild cats.

Three hundred more people came to our display in Kemmerer, Wyoming in September They were all so very excited to hear our message

This year has seen a possibility that hasn’t happened for nearly 30 years when trophy hunting of mountain lions was banned in California. Partner advocates in Colorado were able to secure enough signatures for a referendum that would ban trophy hunting there. We will let Cougar Fund co-founder Tom Mangelsen tell this story.

“There are numerous reasons not to “trophy” hunt mountain lions or trap bobcats. Reality is, science shows there is not one reason to kill cougars for fun in order to manage mountain lions.

So, why do we as citizens allow this to happen? A beautiful cat, a public resource, killed mostly on public lands for fun, one person with one bullet, stealing the maybe once in a lifetime opportunity for others to enjoy seeing a cougar in the wild.

In most states where cougar hunting occurs it’s nothing more than “a good ole boy” sport supported by “good ole boy” Game and Fish Departments still operating in the Dark Ages of Game Management. Some, as in Wyoming, simply state that “we are mandated to provide hunting opportunities for our constituents.” Yes, killing for fun, it’s not hunting, it’s not sport, it’s not putting food on the family table.

The killing of cougars in Colorado results in 50% of the deaths being females and seventy five percent of those will be either pregnant or have kittens that will be dependent on their mothers for up to two years. When the mother is slaughtered for sport, the vast majority of those kittens will die from starvation in a den waiting for her to come home.

We can no longer condone this cruel and barbaric behavior, we can do better, do the humane thing and please support the Cats Initiative!”

We spend a lot of time tirelessly on the road going to policy meetings, offering well researched and substantive public comments.

The advocacy happening in Colorado will be the ultimate ‘public comment’-available at the ballot box and subsequently written into law, a compassionate law of conservation.

And lastly, we support sound science. Many researchers avidly seek answers to the ‘next question’ that is the foundation of good science. These questions help to measure the ecological contributions of large carnivores. What occurs to the detriment of the landscape and its inhabitants when it is contaminated by thoughtless anthropogenic interference? This includes increasing the human footprint exponentially and without holistic planning. What effect do myriad activities, from building walls to trophy hunting, have on our native wildlife? We are currently in discussion to help an extremely valuable area of research, and will hopefully be able to tell you more very soon.

We cannot stress enough how much we need your help through your gift to The Cougar Fund. When you to extend your heartfelt support of us, you give us your confidence in what we do and your willingness to keep us going inspires us every day. Please don’t hesitate.

We need your help with our education programming and more. Supplies are expensive and we will be in classrooms from now until the end of the school year. One of the biggest investments we have made is the continuation of our remote camera initiative. Media, especially video, is the language of today. We have embraced that and the results have been excellent. Most people, especially those visiting locally will not see a mountain lion, but through technology we are able to bring mountain lions, wolves, and bears and all other animals to the people, without harming, capturing, or otherwise interfering with their Wild Lives!

Our videos show that animals are indeed co-thriving, existing together in a shared habitat.

The animals are living their best lives, by giving here https://thecougarfund.nationbuilder.com/ you will help The Cougar Fund help those best lives to keep going.

Your gift can be given at https://thecougarfund.nationbuilder.com/ Please don’t wait, we can’t and the mountain lions certainly can’t.

A cougar and her three kittens. Copyright: Thomas D. Mangelsen.

NATIONAL COUGAR DAY, JUNE 12TH 2024

June 12, 2024/in Blog, News, Cougar News

Cougar, puma, catamount, panther – all names for one of the most mystical animals of the Americas, the mountain lion. The allure of this cat has captivated the imagination of field biologists, hunters, animal lovers, and wildlife watchers all over the world. Once the largest ranging mammal in the Western Hemisphere, mountain lion sightings today are rare as these animals struggle to maintain a wild existence as human development encroaches into their habitat at an ever increasing rate.

In the winter of 1999, an event occurred that would cast light on the collision of two worlds. The arrival and six-week stay of a mountain lion and her three cubs on the National Elk Refuge in Jackson, Wyoming would forevermore change how these elusive predators are perceived by those who hunt them and those who argue for their protection. This spectacle marked the first time in history a mountain lion has been documented in the wild for an extended period of time.

Wildlife watchers, photographers, and filmmakers came from around the world to witness the once-in-a-lifetime event. The weekends were particularly popular. Every day, there were around 20 to 30 or 40 people at that one spot taking photographs. Thousands of people, possibly between 10,000 to 15,000 people that winter came out to see the mountain lions.

But less than three months later, the Wyoming Game and Fish Department would more than double the quota of mountain lions to be killed in the area, a decision that shocked the residents of the town of Jackson, pleasing only a few.

The Cougar Fund was founded in 2001 by writer Cara Blessley Lowe and wildlife photographer Thomas D. Mangelsen after their firsthand experience observing the mother lion and her three cubs on the National Elk Refuge. Frequent collaborators, Blessley Lowe and Mangelsen produced a book titled “Spirit of the Rockies: The Mountain Lions of Jackson Hole” and a subsequent short film documentary on the historical event.

These two pieces went on to garner major national media attention, broadly publicizing the principal issues facing cougars at the dawn of the 21st century: Lack of scientific data on cougar populations within state game agencies, inadequate regulations to protect female cougars and their dependent young, and a dwindling natural habitat further fragmented by human development.

The Cougar Fund was founded to help ensure the conservation and protection of cougars throughout their range in the United States and the rest of the Western Hemisphere. Scientific research has shown that healthy cougar populations help to maintain healthy landscapes and biodiversity which humans depend on for clan water to drink, clean air to breathe, fertile soil in which to grow our food, for medicines derived from plants and other species, for personal and cultural inspiration, for physical and spiritual renewal and more. Our well-being and prosperity is inextricably linked to the health of natural landscapes, the myriad species that live in them and the intricate web of interdependent relationships that binds it all together. Conserving healthy and well-connected cougar populations not only helps us fulfill our moral obligation to protect nature but also yields immeasurable benefits to humans.

Although viable cougar populations continue to exist throughout much of the western United States, decades of suppression through predator control and sport hunting are likely keeping them at levels at which they no longer play their crucial ecological roles. The Cougar Fund works to conserve cougar populations so they can continue to play their vital ecological role and therefore provide innumerable benefits to human society.

The mission of the Cougar Fund is to protect the cougar and other carnivores throughout the Americas by educating children and adults on their value, and by monitoring state policies and advocating for management based on sound science, to assure a lasting place for these creatures.

Thanks to Thomas D Mangelsen for his amazing photos and his continued passion and dedication to the protection of cougars, wolves, and bears
To learn more and to support the work of the Cougar Fund go to https://thecougarfund.nationbuilder.com/

Wild Nature Media

The importance of Mountain Lions in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem.

June 6, 2024/in IDAHO, WYOMING, Wyoming news, Links, Blog, News, Cougar News, Uncategorized

This article https://buckrail.com/why-coexistence-with-mountain-lions-matters/ is a journalistic exploration into the VALUE of mountain lions on the landscape. The article also identifies how we can reduce our negative impact on them. To co-thrive with lions, bears, and wolves, we must change the interpretation of their presence from public distrust and lack of knowledge to appreciation and respect.

Many apex predators are also keystone species, they are not pests and vermin. They are animals with a key role to play in sustaining the environment for the benefit of all inhabitants.

The big picture for The Cougar fund is for humanity to segue from an attitude of utilitarianism to one of a duty of care for the animals themselves. Utilitarianism comes from the perspective of wildlife being present for human ‘use’. They are then managed for sport or for the over exaggerated threat to livestock growing, or even to reduce competition for prey resources that humans view as a ‘right’.

Predation is hunting and hunting is predation. These are not two different concepts. The ecological contributions made by puma con color far outweigh the attitude of ‘ownership’ of wildlife that is prevalent in states’ policy making.

Credit for photo, Wild Nature Media with thanks to David Neils.

Cara Blessley Lowe

Legislative News

February 12, 2023/in Cougar News, News, Blog, Wyoming legislation

The most challenging aspect of advocating for wildlife is the uncertainty of whether our efforts are making progress or if we are losing ground. This is particularly relevant when it comes to recognizing that every species plays a role in the ecosystem.

Requesting consideration for the ecological impact of large carnivores is not just about emotions.

The term “emotion” is often used to belittle individuals who have a different perspective on wildlife and its relationship with human presence.

However, we are an emotional species at every level, not just those who advocate for a non traditional approach to managing our precious wildlife resources. The 10th Amendment of the Constitution assigns responsibility to each state This responsibility is actually held in the public trust for all people, similar to clean water and air.

It is hard to comprehend the “sport” hunting of mountain lions, which is allowed in 14 out of the 16 states with breeding populations. It is important to understand that “sport” hunting is a hobby, and while some hunters may eat the meat of the animal they hunt, this is not their primary motivation. In states where bears, lions, and wolves are classified as Trophy Game and there is no wanton waste statute, nothing is required to be taken back except proof of the animal’s sex and a tooth for data recording. Often only parts that can be hung, mounted, or walked on, are retrieved.

In Wyoming, hunt areas have reached their “harvest mortality limits” for lions quickly, and hunters who use hounds have lobbied to continue chasing lions until the end of the season, even after the limit has been reached.

This extended chase season is not a harmless alternative to killing. It is in addition to the long days and weeks of pursuing lions from September 1st until the limit is met.

The Cougar Fund has grave concerns about adding to the already harsh mountain lion hunting opportunity.

Mountain lions are a keystone species

A keystone species is a species in an ecosystem that plays a critical role in maintaining the balance of that ecosystem. Its presence and impact on the ecosystem are much larger than would be expected based on its abundance. The loss of a keystone species can cause significant changes to the ecosystem, potentially leading to a cascade of effects that alter the balance of the ecosystem and the interactions between its species.

Hounding mountain lions can disturb the balance of the ecosystem by driving lions out of their territory and leading to competition for food and resources and intra-species conflict.
It can also cause significant stress to the animal, especially female lions who may have young not traveling with them and become separated.
It can lead to the death of the animal, either from the hounds themselves or from the lion’s inability to find food or shelter after being chased out of its habitat.
This practice can be cruel, as the animal may be tracked for long distances and chased for hours before finding refuge in a tree or cave. (Most hunting occurs when an animal is unaware of its fate)
The hounds can also kill kittens that cannot climb to safety.
Being chased by hounds is not a hazing tool; lions are simply cats that climb to escape, a remnant from a time before humans when they had to escape large canids on the landscape.
Lions are often near where they can find food, so constant hounding will also affect the winter range of ungulates during their most vulnerable time of the year.
Chasing lions through the end of March coincides with the critical last two months of deer pregnancy, when the doe’s health is vital for the viability of the fawn.

Let’s remember when we hear that a season has closed and there is a problem because there are hounds that can no longer be trained or exercised but have to be fed, is that having these hounds is a choice, a hobby. Should our wildlife really be expected to pay for those choices?

Mountain lion pursuit bill passes WY Senate, heads to House

TCF Wild Lives Campaign

Avian Flu confirmed in mammals in Montana and Colorado

February 10, 2023/in Cougar News, News, Colorado, Montana

Montana recently announced that three grizzlies were killed following confirmation that they had contracted bird flu. Bird flu is most likely passed by consumption of an infected carcass, the organism can live up to 48 hours on surfaces and much longer on organic materials such as feathers. Interestingly, while avian flu is almost immediately fatal in birds, many mammals have actually survived after contracting it, although the risk of it spreading through wild populations is extremely serious and the resilience of the virus makes it a global threat to both wild and domestic birds.

https://www.cnn.com/2023/01/18/us/montana-grizzly-bears-bird-flu/index.html

Colorado this week added to the data verifying the spread of avian flu to wild mammals in that state. As of November 2023, the US had recorded a record number of cases in wild birds and domestic poultry. State wildlife agencies are now beginning to look at avian flu as a cause of unexplained illness or mortality in other wild species. We know what a devastating effect widespread infection can have on birds, we need to have a concerted approach from the states and federal agencies to the impacts of avian flu on other wildlife as well.

https://kdvr.com/news/local/bird-flu-death-colorado-mammal-bear-lion-skunk/?utm_source=ourcommunitynow&utm_medium=web&fbclid=IwAR26thhHZL5qJH-HaSgk1EfB1L-I_aQ2xUmG1kZtkXk-OXx-CRfYkOEg3PU

He was drawn for a coveted grizzly bear license, so why is he thrilled that he may not get to shoot one?

September 14, 2018/in Cougar News, Policy

950433_1_1128-us-society-cbears_standard The news on Thursday September 13th that Judge Dana Christiansen has given grizzly bears another two weeks reprieve from being hunted as trophies in Idaho and Wyoming, comes as a huge relief to grizzly bear license holder and Cougar Fund co-founder, Thomas D. Mangelsen. This shouldn’t surprise you as Tom has spent a lifetime chronicling the lives of wildlife and sharing intimate photographic records of their beauty, their behavior, and their contribution to the environment. Tom’s art has been to reveal nature’s art to a wider audience through the lens of his camera. His success in being randomly drawn for a Wyoming grizzly bear license, that he only intends to use to photograph, has inspired support for grizzly bears through publicity from as near as Wyoming and as far away as french icon, La Monde. In between, the Washington Post, the New York Times and 60 Minutes with Anderson Cooper have told Tom’s story of reverence and support for the grizzly…and the public has heard the message loud and clear!

Though Tom may not be able to use his license to hunt an image, he, and many others are cautiously optimistic that the judge will rule, not only in favor of the litigants but in favor of the bears themselves. Tom’s work has shown many people the value and beauty of ‘nature alive’.

What Tom hangs on his wall is still out there, somewhere, living a wild and authentic life, only sharing the fleeting image of its existence!

The overview of today’s extended delay to the Idaho and Wyoming hunts can be found in this press release by the Western Environmental Law Center and WildEarth how can i order valtrex online Guardians.

Yellowstone grizzlies: Court blocks ID, WY trophy hunts for 14 more days

MISSOULA, Mont. —Today, a U.S. District Court judge extended a temporary restraining order to block planned grizzly bear trophy hunts in Idaho and Wyoming for 14 more days while he prepares a ruling. The judge may only renew a temporary restraining order such as this once, so if there is no decision in the case over the next 14 days, wildlife advocates will request an injunction stopping the hunt until a decision is made.

“We are gratified Yellowstone’s beloved bears are once again safe from trophy hunters’ bullets,” said Bethany Cotton, wildlife program director for WildEarth Guardians. “We look forward to the judge’s thoughtful resolution of the deep flaws with the feds’ removal of protections from these imperiled bears.”

“We appreciate that Judge Christensen is preventing any unnecessary bloodshed while he deliberates on this important case,” said Matthew Bishop, an attorney with the Western Environmental Law Center. “There is simply no need to rush into a grizzly bear hunt, with potentially devastating consequences for this iconic species, when the merits of that hunt are being reviewed in federal court.”

Background:

Grizzlies in the Yellowstone region remain threatened by dwindling food sources, climate change, small population size, isolation, habitat loss and fragmentation, and high levels of human-caused mortality. The Yellowstone population is isolated and has yet to connect to bears elsewhere in the U.S., including to bears in and around Glacier National Park. Grizzlies also have yet to reclaim key historic habitats, including the Bitterroot Range along the Montana-Idaho border.

Hunted, trapped, and poisoned to near extinction, grizzly bear populations in the contiguous U.S. declined drastically from nearly 50,000 bears to only a few hundred by the 1930s. In response to the decline, the Service designated the species as threatened under the Endangered Species Act in 1975, a move that likely saved them from extinction. The species has since struggled to hang on, with only roughly 1,800 currently surviving in the lower 48 states. Grizzlies remain absent from nearly 98 percent of their historic range. Last year (2017) marked the highest mortality for the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem’s grizzlies since their ESA listing.

Grizzly bear mortality in 2018 is proceeding at a record pace, even without the added mortalities from trophy hunting which would have claimed up to 22 more. At last count, approximately 690 grizzly bears resided in the Greater Yellowstone region, down from 2015’s count of 717 bears. The last three years had near record-breaking grizzly mortality, with at least 41 bears killed in 2017, and an additional 15 listed as probable mortalities. Of this, at least 32 were killed by humans, and humans were responsible for at least 9 of the 15 probable deaths. As of this writing, 42 grizzlies are on the 2018 known and probable mortalities list for the Greater Yellowstone ecosystem, far outpacing previous years’ rates.