Mountain Lions

Re “Wilson Seeks to Lift Cougar Protections,” Oct. 13:

The effort to repeal voter-approved Proposition 117 is a transparent attempt to institute the trophy hunting of cougars in California. As a result of the Legislature’s buckling to the wishes of the National Rifle Assn. and other trophy hunting organizations, California citizens will have to vote again on the trophy hunting issue--packaged in a cleverly worded referendum with trophy hunting masquerading as management.

Currently, Proposition 117 provides the California Department of Fish and Game with discretion to kill any cougar that may pose a threat to public health or safety. A landowner may obtain a permit to kill a cougar harming livestock. The only activity banned by Proposition 117 is trophy hunting of these majestic animals.

The threat presented by these animals also must be kept in its proper context. There have only been two fatal attacks by cougars in California since 1909. Cougar attacks are so rare that dogs, deer, goats and jellyfish cause far more deaths to humans. For every person killed by a cougar in North America, 1,200 have been killed in hunting accidents. Furthermore, sport hunting does not decrease threats to livestock or people. Hunters kill cougars for trophy purposes rather than target an offending animal as Proposition 117 allows.

Trophy hunters are attempting to use fear tactics to persuade Californians to take away the protections for these animals so that they may once again release packs of radio-collared dogs on a cougar and, after an exhausting chase, shoot the animal out of a tree. On behalf of our 330,000 members and constituents in California, the Humane Society of the United States urges defeat of the March 1996 referendum.

WAYNE PACELLE

Vice President of Government Affairs

The Humane Society of the United States

Washington