Utah Archives - The Cougar Fund

My name is Penny Maldonado, representing The Cougar Fund and our Utah constituents.

Thank you very much for allowing me to appeal to you today. I understand how hard it is to be bound by statute that is not simply about promulgation of regulations, but directives for the science itself that has always been seen as a foundation of the work of DNR.

My staff and I were alerted by our Utah residents to the 3 year study being discussed today. To be honest we were alarmed at the scope, the methods of removal and the ultimate goal of this PhD thesis. There have been many studies that have provided sound data based evidence that the impact by lion predation on deer survival is only one of many variables. Sadly, people in authority, in this case, your legislature, feel this is the contributing factor that can be controlled by humans. That is not sound science, this is grabbing on to something that might work and which in so many other studies has been shown not to.

In fact, removal of so many lions, as many impassioned and deeply concerned houndsman stated in the December RAC meetings, destabilize lion populations, which are already exhibiting long term decline and younger age structures. Younger lions select for deer, especially more vulnerable deer. We watched every RAC meeting and at one, a staff member stated, lions ONLY eat does. While this is not quite accurate, it is true that lions, being opportunists, especially young immigrants will take the easiest prey for energy conservation. What you are proposing may actually have the opposite effect to what you intend.

After a deadly winter in 2022/23 a large group of deer hunters joined together to buy tags but to deliberately not hunt deer to allow them to recover, with human help, showing that human control can take many forms.

Lastly and most importantly, I must address the methods. Trapping and snaring, of any lion, and most disturbingly of family groups is just unacceptable. Kittens are born any time of year, making distinct the reproductive cycles of lions from other species. Female lions work hard to ensure the survival of their kittens to become successful hunters of appropriate prey-not of livestock or domestic animals.

NAM celebrated its 100th Birthday in 2002. It has served ungulates well, but in the past 124 years, it has never once addressed predators. They have never been afforded the same respect and ethical consideration that name provides for other species. This study harks back to the ways these majestic landscape partners and ecological contributors were treated in the days we can recall in grainy photos of skulls and pelts piled high.

The work you do is hard, you are so often in the middle, with people throwing stones from both sides. I understand. The methodology of this study has drawn many diverse constituents against it, houndsman, ungulate hunters, and advocates. It is never too late to change something so charged.

Thank you for your time today.

Penelope J. Maldonado Executive Director, The Cougar Fund

The Cougar Fund was in the room, we promised you we would be, and we were there.

This is our report from the all important meeting. It was really the first time any detail was presented to the public about a very concerning study that has already started in Utah.

The room was packed to capacity. Nearly everyone spoke. And except for the sponsors of the mountain lion eradication study and a small number of their supporters, the overwhelming majority of those present were opposed to the persecution of lions that was first discussed internally in September and has already been underway since December.

To understand how all this happened, we need to start at the beginning.

In 2020, the Utah State Legislature passed a statute directing the Division of Wildlife Resources to actively remove predators, including large carnivores such as cougars, when deer herds are in decline. In 2023, most cougar hunting regulations were eliminated, with the exception of an entry-level license requirement. Trapping was authorized, and age and sex protections were removed.

Following the collaring of thousands of deer, DWR and Brigham Young University initiated what is being described as a three-year study, intended to serve as the thesis for a PhD student. The study authorizes the eradication of cougars in six hunt units using professional trappers from the Utah Department of Agriculture and Food, who will also be able to keep the pelts of every cougar they kill for financial incentive.

Lions may be killed by any method, including trapping and neck snares. This includes adult females and spotted kittens.

Bait will be used in conjunction with these traps and snares on both public and private lands. No public notice will be provided identifying where these activities are occurring, leaving hikers and families with pets, hounds-men, rangeland permittees with guardian dogs, and other public land users unaware of lethal traps and snares on the landscape.

Resident lion populations in these units will be wantonly killed, but the slaughter will not stop there. Immigration by newly dispersed young lions from surrounding areas will continue, increasing the total number of animals killed over the course of the project.

Decades of replicated research have consistently shown that killing one species to recover another is not supported by data driven evidence evidence.

Predator removal often destabilizes populations, and landscapes dominated by inexperienced juvenile lions undermine the stated goals of such deer recovery efforts. Young, opportunistic lions are more likely to select vulnerable prey that contribute to population growth. Hungry juveniles take risks. When competition is high and food is scarce, livestock and pets become easier targets, and the likelihood of negative human encounters increase.

This study is not only scientifically flawed, it is ethically troubling because it is cruel.

It reflects an outdated approach to predators that predates our modern understanding of cougar ecology and behavior. Today, sound science has demonstrated the important ecological role cougars play and how rarely they are detected even where they persist. DWR has stated that public input is not accepted for agency science projects, citing concerns about bias. Funding for this project is as follows: DWR: $0 Wild Sheep Foundation: $150,000, Sportsmen for Fish and Wildlife: $150,000 Limited details about the project are available here: https://wri.utah.gov/wri/reports/ProjectSummaryReport.html?id=7707

Please note the study information link on the Utah Government website no longer works as the page appears to have been taken down since the meeting. We will keep checking and updating this report if it becomes available again.

We will continue to bring you updates and opportunities for next steps as this unwise and fundamentally challenging study unfolds.

We were proud to meet with our friends Denise and Anna from Utah Mountain Lion Conservation. They are working tirelessly to keep everyone informed about this situation.

Further links can be found here:

The hunting units where the eradication is already happening are Pine Valley, Wasatch East, Zion (with Zion National Park right in the middle and no caution for transboundary lions), Monroe, Boulder and Stansbury map here

Interesting article from back in 2021,

Salt Lake Tribune

Comments by the Cougar Fund before the Utah Wildlife Board 01/08/2026

Update on the Wildlife Board meeting in Farmington Utah January 8th 2026