By Julie Marshall
Voters can Choose Vote yes to end the trophy hunting of mountain lions for their heads and the fur trapping of bobcats to sell their beautiful fur as coats. It is the right moral choice because Cats Are Not Trophies is on the ballot in November.
Our coalition held a press conference on Friday at the Wild Animal Sanctuary, the perfect venue as its founder, Pat Craig, is known for saving big cats from the horrific cruelty of humanity.
On this cool August morning, we saw a mountain lion hiding his cute, butterfly-patterned face in the grass before running away—typical lion behavior in the presence of humans. We saw two lynx and a bobcat, all three the Wild cats that will With a “yes” vote, they will be spared from trophy hunting and fur hunting.
Among the cats were Cats Supporters: An impressive demonstration of serious voices for real nature conservation.
However, the room was silent as raw footage was shown of packs of dogs chasing lions and bobcats into trees, where they were shot as trophies.
Our campaign follows the journalistic virtue of “show, don’t tell” and this film shows the lion trophy hunting outfitters selling our wild cat as “their trophy” for over $8,000 (the exact price for a low-maned African lion). In their own words, the Colorado lion trophy hunters and fur trappers told the crowd that behind their personal big trophy lion, bucket list item, thrill kill.
Watch the video. “This is NOT nature conservation”, on YouTube.
Veterinarian Dr. Valerie Johnson, who holds a doctorate from Colorado State University, summed it up perfectly. “The mountain lion trophy hunters in Colorado are in the same vein as the people who pay a lot of money to go to Africa and cut off the tusks of elephants or the heads of lions,” she told the crowd.
Erik Molvar spoke as a hunter, although he is a widely published biologist in the field of species conservation.
“Hunters are like me, they follow the hunting ethic… Big cat hunting is trophy hunting, pure and simple. It’s not about filling the freezer, it’s about bringing home a trophy… to show off and impress your friends,” Molvar said. “It doesn’t respect the prey and therefore doesn’t deserve any special respect from the public.”
Perhaps the best-recorded voice was that of J. Dallas Gudgell, an experienced environmental scientist and member of the Assiniboine and Sioux tribes of Fort Peck.
“As an indigenous person who cares about the right relationship with nature and grew up in a framework, I believe that trophy hunting and self-centered actions disrupt the natural balance of nature,” explains Gudgell, director of wildlife and tribal policy at the International Wildlife Coexistence Network. one of the 100 groups Cat advocacy. “I support the right of people to participate in the democratic process to protect feral cats from senseless exploitation.”
Dr. Christine Capaldo, a feline medicine specialist, spoke about the bobcat in her southwest Colorado community that was caught in a fur trap and strangled just to sell its fur on the lucrative Chinese fur market.
“Allowing the killing of unlimited numbers of bobcats has no impact on biology or wildlife management, but rather on greed, trophies, the despicable fur trade with China, and a complete disregard for wildlife welfare… Colorado’s native wild cats should never be for sale.”
Dr. Mickey Pardo, PhD, a wildlife biologist in Fort Collins whose work was recently featured in the New York Times and National Geographic, explained:
“As a biologist, I support the CATs ballot proposal to ban trophy hunting and trapping of wild cats in Colorado. The scientific evidence clearly shows that hunting these animals is completely unnecessary and the methods used to hunt them exceptionally cruel.”
Deanna Meyer, born and raised in Colorado, runs a rural family farm in Land of the Lionsbordering National Forest Lands, and she will vote yes on CATs based on her personal experience.
“One Christmas Day two years ago, I followed the sounds and found six dogs that had chased a frightened bobcat up a tree on my property,” Meyer said. “I was furious when I found out there was nothing I could do. If this initiative passes, it will end this nuisance and protect lions and bobcats that do not cause conflict with humans.”
Delia Malone closed the event as West Slope field ecologist and Wildlife Chair of the Colorado Sierra Club, which supports CATs. She is vice chair of Roaring Fork Audubon, one of six Audubon societies in Colorado that also supports CATs.
“In my house in Redstone, which is adjacent roadless “We are fortunate in this area that a cougar family has lived in the forest above us for generations – we have never had a negative encounter with the cougar family,” said Malone. “Killing lions as trophies goes against science, is ethically wrong and should be banned.”
Every speaker at this event shows Colorado voters who we are: a grand coalition of wildlife experts, conservationists And A diverse range of citizens, across the state, including the most rural residents who live with lions, all agree that this type of marginal hunting for heads and hides has no place in the great State of Colorado, where we respect ethical outdoor activities, including the ethical hunting of deer and elk for food.
Pat Craig put it so well: “Let’s be clear: cougars and bobcats are not a source of food, as many callous people like to claim. Instead, they are hunted only for their heads and their beautiful fur.”
You can read the full text of the speeches at Click here and follow the event at you.Be/5ur2g3VRKDk.
Julie Marshall is communications director for Cats Aren’t Trophies, a ballot effort to end the cruel and inhumane trophy hunting of cougars and bobcats for their heads and beautiful coats. For more information, visit www.catsarenttrophies.org.
