S. Dakota grapples with mountain lion hunt
Nov. 21, 2005 at 1:53PM
Wildlife officials in South Dakota are grappling with fall-out from the state's first mountain lion hunting season that orphaned at least three sets of kittens.
Thirteen of the cats were killed in the three-week season last month. Five were females, and three of them were lactating, meaning they had dependent kittens, the Rapid City Journal reported.
Gov. Mike Richards ordered the state Game, Fish & Parks Commission biologists to locate the orphans, and two sets totaling six were found. Three were sent to a zoo in Philadelphia, and the others were kept for research at South Dakota State University.
However, critics of the hunt say the rules need to be changed.
Dr. Sharon Seneczko, a Custer veterinarian and mountain-lion advocate, said any future lion season should be restructured to target young male lions that cause problems rather than allowing lions to be killed randomly.

Kind of hard just to hunt male lions.

And the females "cause problems" also. What does that guy think, that a female cougar will eat oats instead of calves?