Oregon Cougars under pressure

Oregon Cougars Still Need Your Support

It’s not too late!

Comment deadline: October 31, 2005

It’s not too late to express your dismay at Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife’s (ODFW) plan to reduce cougar populations in that state to 1994 levels.

This Cougar Management Plan (CMP) is not based on sound science rather, it’s an effort to work around two voter-supported measures to protect Oregon’s cougar population.

The CMP could mean 782 cougars are killed each year for the next five years in Oregon. In just one year, that is a 195% increase. over the number of cougars killed in 2004! Furthermore, the CMP goal is to have 45% of the take be females--that's 350 cats not including the orphaned kittens that will starve to death as a result of losing their mothers. That's not a balanced approach to wildlife management.

While more cougars are being killed today by sport hunting than ever before in the state (largely due to a dramatic reduction in the cost of a cougar tag), ODFW would like to further reduce the cougar population by approximately 40%. Not only will more citizens be encouraged to hunt for cougars, but if quotas are not met, ODFW would like to hire federal and state hunters to eliminate cougars to meet the quota BY ANY MEANS NECESSARY. This means that the hired guns will be authorized to use snares, poison and dogs if they so desire to achieve the desired kill quota.

You can send an email to Oregon’s Fish and Wildlife Commission as easily as completing the form on our website. Please, add your own comments—your voice counts!

Click or copy and paste to act now! (http://cougarfund.org/takeaction.php#31)

Or write:

ODFW Cougar Plan
3406 Cherry Ave.
NESalem, OR 97303

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