Mountain Lion Killed by AZGFD
Read the full story at the Yuma Sun here.
Officials announce killing of mountain lion
April 3, 2008 – 10:38PM
BY JAMES GILBERT, SUN STAFF WRITEROfficials with the Arizona Game and Fish Department announced the killing of a mountain lion Saturday in the Tank Mountains, east of the Kofa National Wildlife Refuge.
According to Gary Hovatter, information and program manager for the Yuma Game and Fish Office, the lion is the second one to be removed under the department’s May 2007 “Kofa Mountains Complex Predation Management Plan.” It was confirmed as having killed four desert bighorn sheep and five mule deer since being captured and collared by the department in October.
“We have been transparent about these removals since we started this program,” Hovatter said. “This is not a plan about mountain lion eradication, it’s a plan about bighorn sheep restoration.”
Hovatter said the killing was part of the ongoing effort to help restore the declining Kofa Mountains Complex desert bighorn sheep population, which was found to be at historic low numbers during the 2006 population survey.
“This is simply a continuation of the policy we established last May. And this is the second offending lion we have had to remove. We really do have mixed feelings every time we have to remove a lion.”
More at link above…..
Desert Rat,
Thanks for posting the link. I have posted several items of interest and I am open to anyone’s comments at the Yuma Sun website or here at Desert Rat. Reasoned debate is an excellent method of learning all sides of an issue, including the ones we may have “biased out” of our thinking.
Ron Kearns
April 6th, 2008 at 12:21 pm
The following is another link to the Yuma Sun regarding a lawsuit resulting from an artificial water source installed in Kofa NWR wilderness by the AGFD/USFWS.
http://www.yumasun.com/sports/sportsmen_40807___article.html/management_alliance.html
I would like hunters’ objective opinions regarding whether you think, based on your field experiences, that cougars use wildlife waters as areas to stalk and kill their prey.
This is not a loaded question since I have been a strong proponent of maintaining existing wilderness wildlife waters, except for the new McPherson Tank in Kofa NWR wilderness (under lawsuit), and I want evidence, pro/con, based on demonstrable facts from experienced outdoorsmen and women.
Thanks,
Ron Kearns
April 6th, 2008 at 12:52 pm