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.