Stop the Hunting of Cougars

2
Game Creek
Kittens
Tracking
Mountain
Lions
6
9
Cougar Posse
THE OFFICIAL NEWSLETTER OF THE COUGAR FUND
•
SPRING 2012 ISSUE
Stop the Hunting of Cougars
A Message from the Board of Directors of The Cougar Fund.
Thirteen years ago in 1999, a mother cougar and her three
kittens took up residence in a cave for 42 days on the National
Elk Refuge in Jackson Hole, Wyoming. By the Refuge’s
estimate at least fifteen thousand people came to experience
this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. A few months later, the
Wyoming Game and Fish Department more than doubled the
kill quota for cougars in the hunt area that included the home
range of the Refuge family—without any scientific reasoning.
Learning there was no real protection for female cougars and
their dependent kittens, many people were frustrated with
cougar management policies in not only Wyoming but other
western states that allowed cougar hunting. This was the
impetus that led to the creation of The Cougar Fund—
protecting cougars by helping educate people about the value
of these magnificent cats and their place in the ecosystem.
Nearly half of all cougars killed are females; a female cougar is
either pregnant or has dependent young for approximately 75%
of her life. If the mother is shot and killed, the orphaned kittens
may starve to death or be killed by other predators.
Federal and state game agencies control the management of
America’s most precious resource—its wildlife. However,
current management has trended towards being less about
conservation and more about hunting, which serves the interest
of only 5% of Americans, whereas 95% of Americans want
wildlife managed for non-consumptive purposes.
Nevertheless, in an attempt to work with all stakeholders, The
Cougar Fund chose not to take an anti-cougar-hunting stance
during our first decade. For years we tried to work with state
agencies only to have them ignore current science and
photo by: Thomas D. Mangelsen
remove the already minimal protective regulations for females,
thus allowing more cougars to be killed and more kittens to
be orphaned, disregarding the importance of an apex species
in the ecosystem, and rejecting the will of the vast majority
of stakeholders.
Sport-hunting of cougars is unethical and inhumane and
provides no environmental benefit nor does it reduce the risk
of human-cougar encounters. Multiple independent studies
have repeatedly proven that cougar hunting does not benefit
the ecosystem, does not increase the ungulate population, and
does not increase human safety. In fact, research has found that
increased killing of cougars has resulted in increasing conflicts
with humans as younger male cougars, which become more
prevalent in hunted populations, are more prone to prey on
livestock than are females and older male cougars. Only in the
rare, unlikely, and imminent threat to humans, livestock, or
pets should a cougar be removed.
The Cougar Fund has a politically diverse board and staff
with a single viewpoint: we firmly believe that sport-hunting
cougars has no place in their management. The time has come
for all Americans to revaluate our attitudes and our tolerance
toward not only the ghost cat but all predators
on the landscape.
1
Tracking
Mountain Lions
~ Notes from the Field
written by: Marilyn Cuthill
photos by: Craighead Beringia South
Can you find the cougars in the cliffs?
Peering into the vivid, opal-green eyes of a mountain lion, I
found myself once again negotiating life. She was growling in
a steady, low pitch as I turned my head and saw her crouched
in the roots of a downfallen log. Ears back, her chest was
expanded defining all the muscles in her upper body. In the
same second that I noticed her tail twitching, she launched
herself toward me. When she landed, she stood before me,
close enough to touch. Our eyes locked. I had been tracking
her for three years, understood that she had kittens, and she
was here to defend them. I held my 5'3", 120-pound frame
solid and began a careful, steady, backward retreat. But partnered in a slow cat walk, she followed each of my steps with an
advancing step of her own. I began to channel a deep tunnel
from my heart to hers, when suddenly and uncharacteristically
she stood confused—pumped her body, shook her head, then
swatted one paw into the air. She broke our gaze, and taking
that advantage, I gained a more comfortable distance between
us. It was enough to reassure her that I was leaving. She oversaw my departure, keeping our distance at about 30 meters
despite the fact we shared this wide open mountaintop.
In the years of tracking Female 101, she
always exhibited tenacity and an innate
sense of focus. She raised four litters, two to three kittens in
each. She was cagey, outsmarting trailing hounds by meandering across logs and streams to hide her scent and tantalize
them by bedding down, leaving scant but confirmed scent,
only to elude the dogs seconds later. Characteristically she
denned in the thicket of downfallen trees at the crest of a
mountain, using the wind to scent for predators. The cover
offered a dry place for kittens, and the vantage point allowed
her to hunt at dusk and dawn traversing the vast landscape
with the ability to return quickly to her young. While with
kittens, she regularly took down elk up to five or six times her
size. Her prey preferences while without kittens, depending
on the season, were smaller: mule deer, grouse, and calf elk.
F 101 died of old age, curled up at the base of a large Douglas
fir tree, at thirteen years old.
Ecology has branched out of natural history and has matured
into a more rigorous science. Though hard to quantify, the
daily tracker is made aware of clues regarding relationships
and specific behaviors ancillary to the study questions.
Much of the behavioral and social
interactions we witness are void
in our final analysis. As scientists,
we collect, sort, and statistically
analyze data. As naturalists we
observe, listen, and discover.
Cougar biologists are routinely
reminded that mountain lions
FAR LEFT: Cougar leaps
from a tree.
CENTER: Cougar kittens.
LEFT: Wolves may
be changing the
behavior of cougars.
are wild creatures that modulate their own populations, and
by overseeing large territories, they have the capacity to drive
an entire ecosystem into balance.
Up until five years ago, adoption had not been documented in
the social association of mountain lions. Dispersing kittens
generally leave their mothers between 18 and 24 months of
age. The Teton Cougar Project’s first collared female, F 1, was
12 years old with three 14-month-old kittens when an outfitter
shot her in a legal hunt. Her kittens remained at the site. After
two weeks the female kitten left her brothers and was located
feeding on a spike elk. The orphaned brothers, traveling
together, later found their way to their sister, and within 24
hours, radio telemetry matched them residing with another
family group—F 27 (possibly the sister of F 1) and her three
6-month-old kittens.
The canyon, occupied by the F 27 family group, is representative of ideal cat habitat; diverse with rock outcroppings, a
riparian rich river bottom, and covered with an array of prey
species. As researchers, we couldn’t know what to expect
with two males joining another family group. Our curiosity compelled us into the canyon every day. Over the next
three weeks, F 27 was hunting more and making kills more
frequently to feed her new family of six. The extended F 27
family group had opened a window into their secretive lives,
and we began to immerse ourselves in behavioral ecology.
We watched F 27 with M 21, one of the orphaned kittens,
lay side-by-side in the sun on the ledge of a rocky cliff. They
groomed one another and took cat naps while dodging the
playful pouncing of the three younger kittens. The day
following an extensive display of rubbing
necks and licking one another, mom and
adopted kitten separated. M 21 dispersed
and became the resident male covering
an area of 200 sq. km inclusive of F 1 and
F 27’s territories. His brother had dispersed
two weeks prior to that, and sister F 69,
self-sufficient for four years, died of
starvation. Wolf tracks were found; they
may have pushed F 69 off her kills before
she could feed.
Years after witnessing this event, we have had another opportunity to observe communal behavior in mountain lions.
With increased bear and wolf activities at collared lion kill
sites, two mothers with two kittens each came together several
times to share a kill, sleep closely nestled together, groom one
another, and nurture kittens. Until DNA samples authenticate
our suspicions, we suspect the two adult females are sisters;
two of the three young kittens observed in the cliffs five years
prior. As we viewed these six cats from behind the magnification of a scope, we asked ourselves many questions but one in
particular. Has this behavior gone undetected, or is this a new
strategy for cougars—sharing and defending resources in the
presence of other top carnivores?
Our understanding of cougar ecology is an ongoing menagerie
of discoveries—changing over time with wildlife populations
experiencing inter-and intra-specific strife. It is clearly
understandable that we fall short of keeping pace, but through
research we attempt to gain understanding into the complex
dynamic and the drivers behind an ecosystem’s balance.
Marilyn Cuthill is a wildlife biologist with a M.Ed. in Curriculum
and Design. She has been working with Craighead Beringia South
since 2005. In her role as Teton Cougar Project coordinator she oversees
the daily activities of field data collection and immobilizing and radio
collaring cougars. She also teaches the “Research Challenge” for The
Cougar Fund’s Cougar Posse.
Marilyn Cuthill and Dan McCarthy
3
Jackson, Wyoming
Cache Creek Cougars
written by: Lisa Rullman, Managing Director
In late January, the Wyoming Game and Fish Department
(Game and Fish) responded to a complaint about a cougar near
Cache Creek Canyon, a sub-urban-wildlands interface area
in Jackson, Wyoming. Game and Fish trapped and removed
the mother leaving three dependent kittens behind. Four days
later, they moved the mother to a wildlife research center on
the opposite side of the state. Three days after that, one of the
kittens was captured by Game and Fish and sent to the same
center. It took a total of 10 days for Game and Fish to capture
the entire cougar family. And then according to Game and
Fish, the cougars were released near Lander, Wyoming.
What’s wrong with this picture? There is no scientific information that supports Game and Fish’s actions to remove the
cats. The mother cougar was in her natural habitat feeding on
abundant prey. Cache Creek is known by long-time locals and
biologists alike to have resident cougars. This family didn’t
threaten humans, kill pets, or attack livestock. Removing these
cougars leaves a void to be filled by another cougar, which may
not behave as well.
After the capture of the mother, The Cougar Fund, our members, and people across the nation phoned, emailed, and wrote
to Game and Fish asking to have the mother released to find
her kittens. More than 300 pages of communications on behalf
of the cougar family were recorded as of early spring. The
biologists with Craighead Beringia South (Beringia), arguably
the cougar experts in the area with more scientific knowledge
and hands-on experience than anyone else, offered a solution that would have given the cougar family the best chance
of survival: their experienced houndsman would capture the
kittens as soon as possible, Beringia would collar the mother,
and the family would be released in another drainage within
their probable home range. The winter conditions would hinder them from returning to Cache Creek, and a collar would
have allowed Game and Fish to stay apprised of their location.
The Cougar Fund supported this reasonable compromise and
offered the seed money and proposed to raise the remaining
funds needed to pay for the collar.
Instead, Game and Fish relocated the cats in an area far from
Jackson—foreign territory for this family and with possible
other resident cougars could be very dangerous for this cougar
mother and her young. A Game and Fish spokesman was
quoted in the Jackson Hole News and Guide February 3 as saying
the release area was under a “winter closure,” which in fact
was only a vehicle closure and would remain open for hunting
until March 31. Despite another offer from Beringia to collar
the mother no matter where she was relocated, Game and Fish
released the family with no way of knowing their fate.
What could have been: the mother could have been collared
by Beringia and become part of Teton Cougar Project to help
everyone learn more about these elusive, magnificent cats.
We might have learned why they behaved so well in proximity
to humans, pets, and livestock. Information would have been
gained as to why the cougar family was so close to residences—
was there a big tom in her territory, was she following prey
unnaturally drawn to the area by residents feeding wildlife,
or were wolves pushing her to the edge of her territory?
With knowledge of the cats’ whereabouts, the corresponding
local land management agency could have posted signs alerting people of mountain lion activity or closed areas to human
activity if necessary. The community could have been proud of
collaboration with and between government agencies and nonprofit organizations for the good of wildlife. We could have
demonstrated our desire and our ability to live peacefully with
all wildlife and this cougar family in particular.
Instead many opportunities were lost.
According to the Game and Fish mission statement, “The
department is charged with providing an adequate and flexible
system for the control, management, protection and regulation
of all Wyoming wildlife.” The Cougar Fund was told when
meeting with a Game and Fish official that they were “flexible
in this case” by not shooting the cougars.
We may never know what happens to that family, and that
opportunity to expand our knowledge through science is gone.
Cougar
Legislation
For now Cache Creek is
more empty and less wild.
The community suffered a
gut-wrenching blow. But we
won’t forget. Remembering
our beautiful lost cougar
family, we’ll be at the
Wyoming Game and Fish
meetings when they revise
their cougar management plan.
We will also be at every meeting
after that until those charged
with the protection of our
wildlife base their decisions and
actions on science and begin to do
the right thing for all wildlife. It is
time our state game agencies are
held accountable for their actions.
To read corresponding press and The
Cougar Fund’s comments about the Cache
Creek cougars, please visit our website at
www.cougarfund.org and go to the Press &
News tab. Under Press Releases, Cougars
in the News, and Our Opinion Letters
look at postings dated January 23 through
March 14, 2012.
MISSOURI—
Good news for cougars! Missouri
State Senate Bill SB738, which would
have opened a new state to the killing
of cougars, is dead because it did not
make it out of committee. Despite
not having a recognized breeding
population, this bill would have
allowed the killing of cougars in the
state anytime, anywhere, by anyone.
Thank you to everyone who helped!
Chalk one up for the cougars and the
good guys!
•indulge a small group of wealthy
trophy hunters who want to import
polar bear trophies from Canada in
defiance of current law;
NEBRASKA—
In April, Nebraska passed Legislative
Bill 928, which would allow sport
hunting of cougars. Senator LeRoy
Loudon on behalf of the Game and
Parks Commission introduced the
bill in response to increased sightings
of cougars in the state. The cougar
population in the entire state is estimated to be fewer than sixty, 20 to 24
which are a confirmed breeding population in the northwest portion of
Nebraska. If the population continues
to increase, Game and Parks could
create a limited hunt season, allowing residents to pay $25 for a chance
to win a hunting permit in a random
drawing; non-residents would get a
permit through an auction.
•strip the Environmental Protection Agency of its ability to protect
habitat, animals, and people from
lead poisoning through toxic
ammunition exposure. U.S. SENATE—
On April 17, 2012, H.R. 4089, the
“Sportsmen’s Heritage Act of 2012,”
passed the U. S. House of Representatives. H.R. 4089 is a highly
controversial bill that seeks to:
•mandate that federal agencies
open nearly all federal public lands to
hunting without regard to the impact
on people, wildlife, and ecosystems;
•open wilderness areas to motorized vehicles, helicopters, road building, and activities such as industrial
logging and oil and gas drilling; and
National parks, forests, and wilderness areas are the last place of refuge
for our remaining wildlife. Predators
—slow to reproduce, valued as
trophies, and few in number—
are most at risk.
This law eliminates the protections
that were envisioned in the creation
of our federal lands. Lend your voice
regarding H.R. 4089. Please make
a brief, polite phone call to both
of your U.S. Senators. (For your
senators’ contact information go
to www.senate.gov/states.)
Thank you to our friends at the
Mountain Lion Foundation for
compiling this information
about H.R. 4089.
5
What Do A Florida University, An Endangered S
Thanks to a partnership with Florida Gulf
Coast University (FGCU), Cougar Posse was
launched in March of this year with Kelly
Elementary School and Journeys School in
Jackson, Wyoming.
FGCU’s parent program, Panther Posse,
was created 11 years ago and has educated
thousands of 4th graders about the Florida
panther (a sub-species of our western cougar).
Through two half-day fieldtrips and working
through “challenges” or stations, Cougar
Posse teaches about the importance of cougars
in the ecosystem, research, natural history,
water conservation, animal tracks, cougar
kittens, and what to do if one sees a cougar.
It incorporates science, math, spelling,
art, music, and local history to teach about
cougars. The program requires each child to
educate two more people, and they are given a
photograph of cougar kittens after they do.
The children also collect coins to purchase
remote cameras that are used by researchers,
and the resulting photographs are shared with
the classes. We hope to expand this program
to all fourth grade classes in the county this
fall and to other communities after that.
p h ot
o s by
: The
Co u g
ar Fu
nd a
nd G
re g W
i n s to
n
Species & The Western Cougar Have In Common?
We would like to thank those
who make this program
possible:
OUR PARTNERS
City Kids Wilderness Project
Craighead Beringia South
Florida Gulf Coast University
Wildlife Land Trust
OUR VOLUNTEERS
Emily Ambler
Stephanie Brennan
Franz Camenzind
Camille Davis
Teresa Griswold
Karen Haynam
Anne Marie Letko
Robin Moore
Nancy Peters
Wendy Rominger
Michelle Sheldon
Ellen Wozniak
OTHER BUSINESSES
& NON-PROFITS
Carpet Cowboys
Craighead Institute
Jackson Hole Wildlife Foundation
Mangelsen – Images of
Nature Gallery
Peak Printing
Three-Sixty Building
Contractors
To read an article about Cougar
Posse in the Jackson Hole News
and Guide visit Cougars in the
News on our website at www.
cougarfund.org/news/news.
Look for “Kids Learn Cougar
Basics” dated March 28, 2012.
7
Girlfriends’
Weekend
Retreat
Benefits The
Cougar Fund
written by: Amanda Swafford
Here’s a great idea for helping cougars while having fun with friends.
A few years ago, several of my girlfriends decided to reserve
a weekend every year as a sort of “retreat” and mini-reunion
for all of us to get away. Each year, a different hostess among
us is selected to choose a location, theme, and schedule
activities.
This year’s hostess, Shari Gunnin, selected her home in
Athens, Georgia as our retreat location with the theme
“Cougars of the Classic City”—a play on our age as
compared to the University of Georgia students.
As part of our retreats each year, we have an educational
component for which each participant presents on a subject,
which has ranged from “How to Score a Game of Bowling” to “Creating an Emergency Kit for Your Automobile.”
Giving back to our communities and to causes greater than
us has always played an important role in the lives of my
girlfriends. So for my presentation this year, I decided to introduce a charity component to our retreat. With the theme
being “Cougars of the Classic City,” I sought out a charity
with a connection to cougars and found The Cougar Fund!
As part of my presentation, I gave a brief overview of The
Cougar Fund and then outlined a team competition that
would seek to raise money for The Cougar Fund during the
24 hours that remained of our retreat. The team that raised
the most money would be the recipient of our first official
retreat “mascot.”
The team competition I designed was based loosely on the
hit NBC show “The Apprentice.” Each team was tasked
with the job of selling Mardi Gras beads and using any other
means at their disposal to raise as much money as possible.
The ladies instantly got busy and embarked on a series of
social media campaigns, sent text messages to friends and
family, and attempted to sell the beads to people involved in
our other retreat activities. One of the ladies in attendance
even offered massage therapy services in return for donations,
which proved too irresistible to resist—even to members of
the opposing team!
Our group will continue to incorporate a charitable
component into future reunions. We are hopeful that our
weekend retreat serves as inspiration to others interested in
a way to incorporate a charitable aspect into future girlfriend
gatherings or even nights out on the town in order to benefit
the mission of The Cougar Fund.
Create your own fundraiser and we may publish your story in a future newsletter.
LEFT: Game Creek kittens 2006
photo by: Bob Smith
Game Creek Kittens
have grown to become the
Cheyenne Mountain Zoo Cougars
As many of our members will recall, The Cougar Fund was
instrumental in finding appropriate placement for four cougar
kittens whose mother was shot by a poacher in 2006. Wanting
to update you on how they are doing today, we caught up with
Kristen Cox, the animal keeper of “Rocky Mountain Wild”
at Cheyenne Mountain Zoo in Colorado Springs, Colorado.
The kittens were five to six months old when they arrived at the
zoo and just celebrated their sixth birthdays in November. The
cougars have indoor dens and an outdoor enclosure with much
vertical space. Just as house cats seek out something warm to
sleep on, the cougars like to rest on their “hot rock” with its
high vantage point. All four siblings still get along and in the
mornings, according to Cox, “they are one big ball of fur.”
Cox does cooperative husbandry skills training with each of
the cats, teaching them behaviors that allow them to participate
in their care. For example, they are taught to stand up and
present their paws for the keeper, helping to assess their health.
Cox said the cats enjoy the training as it is mentally stimulating. Each of the cats has a distinctive personality. The only
female, Kaya, is the most active; she likes the keepers and
watches for them. Motega is the smallest, but he’s the bravest
and most curious. Yuma is the most vocal and is the biggest,
but he’s not as confident. Tocho likes the training the most.
The Cougar Fund wishes these kittens had the opportunity
to live out their lives in the wild, but we’re pleased they are
together and doing so well.
LEFT: Kaya
ABOVE: Motega, Tocho, Yuma
photos by: Cheyenne Mountain Zoo
9
photo by: Lori Swallow
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
left to right: Heather Mathews, Marc Bekoff, John Swallow, Sue Cedarholm, Lisa Rullman, Rick Hopkins,
Jane Goodall, Tom Mangelsen, Cara Blessley Lowe, Webb Blessley
Board Meeting
The Cougar Fund held its annual meeting in March at co-founder
Thomas D. Mangelsen’s cabin on the Platte River in Nebraska. We were
lucky to also enjoy the annual sandhill crane migration and observe the
magnificent birds coming to roost on the river at sunset and return to
the fields at sunrise.
During our meeting this year, we discussed our anti-cougar hunting
stance, planned a new campaign to help cougars, discussed publication
options for a children’s book written for us by Jean Craighead George,
brainstormed new fundraising ideas, and organized new committees to
improve our efficiency and capacity.
Board members pay their own expenses for our annual meeting. No member donations were
used for board expenses. Transportation expenses for the staff were paid for by a board member.
Marc Bekoff
Webb Blessley
Patricio Robles Gil
Dr. Jane Goodall
Rick Hopkins, Ph.D,
President
Cara Blessley Lowe,
Co-Founder and Treasurer
Thomas D. Mangelsen,
Co-Founder and Vice President
Susan Richards, Esq.
Corey Rutledge, Esq.
John Swallow,
Secretary
ADVISORY BOARD
The Cougar Fund is happy to accept
donations from 1% for the Planet members.
Dr. Susan G. Clark
Dr. Brett G. Dickson
Ron Hirschi
We’re an approved
1% partner!
1% member businesses on every
continent give at least 1% of their
top-line sales to charities like ours.
Support us – and make giving back
a part of the way you do business.
onepercentfortheplanet.org
About 1% for the Planet: Started in
2002 by Yvon Chouinard (founder and
owner of Patagonia) and Craig Mathews
(owner of Blue Ribbon Flies), 1% for
the Planet is a growing global movement
of over 1,350 member companies in
43 countries that donate one percent
of their sales to environmental
organizations worldwide. Each day,
more than one new business joins
the 1% for the Planet movement. As
a network, the 1% community has
become a front-runner in funding the
work of environmental groups around
the world.
Ted Kerasote
Linda L. Sweanor, M.S.
STAFF
Lisa Rullman,
Managing Director,
[email protected]
Heather Mathews,
Office Assistant,
[email protected]
Cash for Cougars
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11
PO Box 122
Jackson, WY 83001
(307) 733-0797
Fax: (307) 733-7129
[email protected]
www.cougarfund.org
“The time has come for all Americans to reevaluate
our attitudes and our tolerance toward not only the
ghost cat but all predators on the landscape.”
Thomas D. Mangelsen
Read the cover story for The Cougar Fund’s statement
photo by: Thomas D. Mangelsen
against the sport-hunting of cougars.