Letters Needed to Stop $2.1 Million Cougar-Killing

The Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife has proposed a

$2.1 million “study” that would involve killing cougars in two

areas of Oregon using inhumane methods such as hound

hunting. The project would ostensibly study the effects of

cougar predation on elk and mule deer over a five-year

period. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife has proposed funding 75%

of this study, and is seeking comments on its Environmental

Assessment.

Please tell the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service not to fund this

wasteful and cruel project. Comments must be received by

February 19, 2001. Write to:

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

Division of Federal Aid

911 NE 11th Avenue

Portland, OR 97232-4181

Fax: 503-231-6996

The Environmental Assessment is available at

www.r1.fws.gov/news/odfwea.pdf or by calling 503-231-6128.

You may wish to make the following points in your letters:

  • This project is predator control disguised as scientificresearch. We should not allow trophy hunters or

    wildlife agency officials to use the label of research to

    hide their anti-predator biases.

  • The study flies in the face of the will of Oregonians. In1994 and again in 1996, Oregon voters overwhelmingly

    decided to ban cruel practices such as the hunting of

    cougars with radio-collared dogs.

  • Predators are important animals in any ecosystem.Cougars provide ecological values to an ecosystem

    well beyond any adverse impacts they may have on

    humans, livestock, and other wildlife species.

    The killing of cougars will likely result in an increase in

    smaller predators who may cause even greater

    impacts to human interests.

  • If elk and mule deer populations are declining, it ismore likely due to factors such as climatic change,

    disease, habitat loss or fragmentation, or increased

    human use of the area, rather than due to cougar

    predation. Killing cougars may be psychologically

    soothing to hunters and the wildlife agency, but it will

    not increase big game populations.

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