WILLIAMS, OR – Big Wildlife, a wildlife protection organization based in the Pacific Northwest, says it is encouraged Washington wildlife officials have scaled back cougar hunting in the state (click here to read about the hunting changes). This weekend, the Washington Fish and Wildlife Commission voted to reduce the total number of cougars killed by hunters by 40 percent. While Big Wildlife has called for an immediate ban on cougar hunting, the group said the Commission’s change was "a move in the right direction" and an acknowledgment that liberalized hunting of the big cats had contributed significantly to declines in the cougar population. The wildlife advocacy group did express disappointment the state had extended a pilot program permitting hunters to use hounds to pursue cougars.

“The Commission’s decision to scale back the hunting of cougars is an admission that aggressively killing the big cats has contributed to the decline of cougars. While we are encouraged state wildlife officials are moving in the right direction, we hope Washington will ultimately halt all trophy hunting of this magnificent species,” said Brian Vincent, Communications Director for Big Wildlife.

A growing body of science about cougars reveals indiscriminate and widespread killing of cougars through trophy hunting and expansive lethal control has taken a toll on the region's cougar population and actually increased conflicts with humans and domestic animals. For example, the Seattle Times (http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2004285453_cougar16m.html) reported in March that a study by Washington State University's Large Carnivore Conservation Laboratory (LCCL) found hunters have killed off many older males, as well as targeted female cougars, causing their numbers to plummet. LCCL team leader Dr. Robet Wielgus told the Times, "killing large numbers of cougars creates social chaos...Trophy hunters often target adult males, which act as a stabilizing force in cougar populations. The adults police large territories and kill or drive out young males. With the grown-ups gone, the young hooligans run wild." Dr. Wielgus further noted to the Times, "Evidence suggests cougars under two years of age, just learning to live on their own, account for the majority of run-ins with people and domestic animals...Every time you kill a dominate male, about three of these young guys come to the funeral."

Other researchers support WSU's findings. Dr. Maurice Hornocker, considered the dean of cougar researchers, has said “hunting may be exacerbating the likelihood of attacks by removing those cougars that are more wary of people and thus quicker to climb trees when pursued thereby skewing the population towards those more aggressive cougars that are also more likely to attack humans.” And according to biologist Dr. Paul Beier hunting is not an effective tool for reducing conflicts. "It is not valid to initiate hunting [of cougars] on the grounds that it will reduce the risk of cougar attacks. Quite simply, sport hunting will not reduce the risk of cougar attacks on humans," Dr. Beier has said.

Instead of continuing its aggressive management of cougars, Big Wildlife urged Washington to employ non-lethal techniques that are far more effective in reducing conflicts, such as appropriate land-use planning, improved animal husbandry, and public education. The group said the state should be assisting individuals to take simple steps, like avoiding feeding wildlife, bringing companion animals in at night, sheltering domestic farm and ranch animals, installing motion lighting around property, recreating with others while in cougar country, and educating their families about cougars to help prevent conflicts with the big cats.

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