https://biologicaldiversity.or...2MDkwLjE3MTg2NTQ2MDE.


For Immediate Release, July 19, 2024

Contact:

Collette Adkins, (651) 955-3821, cadkins@biologicaldiversity.org

Washington OKs Cougar Hunting Reforms, Retains Wolf’s Endangered Status

OLYMPIA, Wash.— The Washington Fish and Wildlife Commission today voted 8-1 to approve amended cougar hunting rules. Spurred by a petition from wildlife conservation organizations, the new rules aim to avoid cougar overexploitation.

“I’m glad to see the state finally taking action to rein in unsustainable cougar killing,” said Collette Adkins, carnivore conservation program director at the Center for Biological Diversity. “For too long, hunters have been killing cougars at rates that far exceed the levels prescribed by state wildlife biologists. This is a big win for cougars and all of us who love these magnificent animals.”

The new rules reverse previous expansions of cougar hunting that kept cougar mortality above levels recommended by agency scientists. Among other things, the new rules require state wildlife managers to close cougar hunting when area-specific quotas are met. All known human-related cougar mortality, including conflict killings, will count toward the caps.

The petition was filed in October by Washington Wildlife First, the Center for Biological Diversity, the Humane Society of the United States, Mountain Lion Foundation, WildFutures, Predator Defense, Coexisting with Cougars in Klickitat County and Kettle Range Conservation Group.

The commission also today voted 5-4 to reject a proposal from the department to reduce the wolf’s status from “endangered” to “sensitive.” Such a downlisting would have reduced penalties for poaching wolves, liberalized the issuance of permits to kill wolves and allowed harmful forest practices near wolf dens.

“The science, law and on-the-ground facts show that wolves aren’t recovered in Washington,” said Adkins. “Until recovery goals have been met and threats to wolves curbed, Washington’s precious and ecologically essential wolves need to retain the highest possible level of protection.”

The department’s proposed downlisting sparked opposition from thousands of people who sent comment letters and hundreds of people who testified during multiple commission meetings over the past several years. Wolf advocates opposed downlisting in large part because of the lack of breeding pairs in the western third of Washington state.

I will never understand predator worship.

The rules on cougar really didn’t change much from where they have been for a while. If anything the numbers available to be taken from each unit has gone up some. Many areas never reach their quota anyway.