Hunting is causing lion attacks on humans

[BJV3]

Here’s what the other side believes:

There may be a clear reason a jogger in Colorado got attacked by a mountain lion — and it means another attack could easily happen

Recent mountain lion attacks have involved young cats. Some experts say legal hunting may be orphaning such cats, forcing them to hunt for human prey.

www.businessinsider.com

 

[marshman]

Wow, this article jumps to some pretty lofty conclusions, with absolutely no scientific data to back it up.
"Adult Lions never attack adults" REALLY! This gal is in outer space, and must not be informed at all or even look at news reports.
A adult male human was killed in Washington state less than a year ago by a lion. And guess what...it was an adult female - perfectly healthy.

 

[375H&H]

That’s funny. Weren’t there just 2 attacks in Washington and Oregon, both of which have outlawed hound hunting for cats?

 

[Deleted member 28227]

"It's far more likely that a mother is killed by other means like vehicle collision, natural causes or disease, fights with other wildlife, or the possible death by landowner/person in defense of self or property."

I love how they interview CPAW ^ this is CPAW's response, the author ask for harvest records they department says they will be available in July/Aug... the logical response from the reporter... "This leads our team and other scientists with which we've conferred to believe that they may very well be hiding the fact that a female was recently harvested in the area."

Talk about writing your article before you have the facts, I wonder if it would have mattered at all if CPAW had all the records on hand and just said nope, no depredation or hunting of cats in that area.

 

[Gut Shot]

"Some experts".

Don't most lion attacks occur in Commiefornia? Where hunting them is all together banned?

 

[Deleted member 28227]

"Some experts".

Don't most lion attacks occur in Commiefornia? Where hunting them is all together banned?

Not sure about attach percentage... although more people so likely more conflicts. What is interesting is in CA they use dogs to hunt problem cats... in that type of depredation sex/kittens don't matter.

So if I was talking to the author in person I might posit, "Assuming your conclusions are correct, wouldn't it be better to allow sport hunting of cats, in which hunters are attempting to the best of the ability to target males, and thereby reducing the population and therefore problem encounters, instead of doing it only when then is a conflict necessitating the killing of a cat regardless of gender."

IE hunterss target males, DOW doesn't... I wonder if there is data in CA with a gender break down of cats killed which you could compare to the hunting numbers across other western states.

 

[MTGomer]

The emotional attachment to apex predators is a weird one.
If the guy had been getting stomped to death by a yearling moose or a bison and he smoked it in the head with a .44 would this article have been written about the negative affects of moose hunting?

Not that that would happen, but nobody would give a shit if it did.

 

[noharleyyet]

"Leaked" reporting is all the rage...

 

[JLS]

There are some parcels of truth interspersed with a bunch of assumptions and hypotheses.

 

[mplane72]

and they wonder why the term "fake news" has caught on.......

 

[Hilljackoutlaw]

Lol

 

[hank4elk]

I remember when you could hunt cats in CA.
I also worked with the only person who could legally shoot one after the laws went into effect, USFW Federal Trapper. Me & my CA G&F Warden buddy would help set up the traps & check after a cat was after stock. Then warden would call the trapper who would then shoot the cat. Usually it was a young tom following the alfa to his kill sites,or a young female. He said he rarely caught the actual culprit that killed the stock.

 

[cmeyer733]

Not sure about attach percentage... although more people so likely more conflicts. What is interesting is in CA they use dogs to hunt problem cats... in that type of depredation sex/kittens don't matter.

So if I was talking to the author in person I might posit, "Assuming your conclusions are correct, wouldn't it be better to allow sport hunting of cats, in which hunters are attempting to the best of the ability to target males, and thereby reducing the population and therefore problem encounters, instead of doing it only when then is a conflict necessitating the killing of a cat regardless of gender."

IE hunterss target males, DOW doesn't... I wonder if there is data in CA with a gender break down of cats killed which you could compare to the hunting numbers across other western states.

I would love to find that kind of data, and also see how many cats are killed each year by DFG and the cost that goes along with it. I bet its at least 10K per cat, and it completely goes to waste. Rather than make money off tags and animal gets put to use. This state is so F'ed when it come to predator control...

 

[marshman]

That’s funny. Weren’t there just 2 attacks in Washington and Oregon, both of which have outlawed hound hunting for cats?

Yep, thats a fact.

 

[dan.kirkpatrick]

what a bunch of baloney

 

[one ate E grain]

I just took a peek at the 17/18 stats and a total of 18 cats were taken in unit 19, 191, 20, 29, and 38 which covers the front range from Wyoming down to I-70. Half females. Females are actually where the population control would come from if that's what one was looking to do, and gosh knows there are plenty of cats along the front range. I have all the work I can do just to keep up with the bidding for people who want fences to slow down the cats from grabbing up their pooch in what they call the wildland urban interface. CPW spends a lot of effort tranquilizing cats that go into town and relocating them. Oughta be a bounty.

 

[Bigjav]

"Some experts".

Don't most lion attacks occur in Commiefornia? Where hunting them is all together banned?

There was an attack over Memorial Day just outside of San Diego, wardens killed the cat which and had dna evidence that it was the culprit

 

[jryoung]

I wonder if there is data in CA with a gender break down of cats killed which you could compare to the hunting numbers across other western states.

Each year there is a necropsy report prepared for the commission, below are the last two years of breakdowns of gender and age.