Orphaned Wyoming Cougar Kittens Bound for New Home

JACKSON, Wyo., Feb. 27 /PRNewswire/ -- Four orphaned cougar kittens will go to a new home on Wednesday at the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo in Colorado Springs, CO. Discovered in late January after a hunter shot their mother in Jackson, WY, the fourteen week-old siblings likely would not have survived on their own in the wild.

In cooperative negotiations between The Cougar Fund, a national nonprofit organization dedicated to cougar conservation, and the Wyoming Game and Fish Department, Wildlife Division Chief under Director Terry Cleveland, Jay Lawson confirmed Monday that permits to release the kittens to representative Michelle Schireman of the American Zoo and Aquarium Association are under way.

First sighted near the Game Creek trail in Jackson Hole in January, the kittens were trapped and removed on January 28 by local Wyoming Game and Fish officials. They have been held for the last four weeks between the Sybille research facility near Wheatland, WY and later at a similar facility in Colorado. "We were concerned about the future of these kittens. It is tragic enough that they were orphaned, but the fear from our constituents that they would be used as research animals was overwhelming," says Zeenie Scholz, Director of Operations and Development for The Cougar Fund. Rehabilitation and re-release of cougars into the wild, while considered an option for the four cubs, have not been shown to have high success rates.

In the fourteen states where cougars (also called mountain lions and pumas) may be legally hunted, there are few regulations in place that protect female cougars, referred to by ecologists as 'the biological savings accounts of the population.' And statistics from these states' hunting data reports show that nearly half of the cougars bagged by hunters are, in fact, females.

"The best available science confirms that female cougars are either pregnant or raising dependent cubs for more than 70% of their lives. And the cubs stay with their mothers for anywhere from 14 to 18 months," says Rick Hopkins, PhD, cougar biologist and Principal of Live Oak Associates, an ecological consulting firm located in Silicon Valley, CA. "For pretty much their entire adult lives, female cougars are either being, or becoming, moms."

With upwards of 3000 cougars legally shot for sport each year, this means "many more kittens are being orphaned than game officials -- and even hunters -- realize," says Hopkins. And backtracking for potential orphans is not common protocol. "These kittens were tracked because their mother was shot in a winter closure area, which is illegal," says Scholz. "Otherwise Wyoming, along with the other western states' policies, does not require that potential orphans be searched for when females are killed."

Even cougar hunters seem to agree. "Its an easy fix. Change the regulations and treat cougars just like you treat other big and small game, deer and elk, ducks and geese," says Jason Reinhardt, a sportsman and cougar hunter in Jackson, WY. "Female cougars should be protected, just like antlered and antlerless game."

Which is why The Cougar Fund is focusing its attention on building bridges between the public, hunters, and the officials charged with amending hunting regulations. "This is one issue where hunters and non-hunters agree, females with dependent young should be protected," says Scholz. "Its what we called a 'common-ground' issue because it moves the debate away from the emotionally-charged arguments of hunting, good or bad, and shows that we can work together."

So why are female cougars still being shot? "Its a disconnect. Some hunters don't know how to tell the sex of the cat, or they guess," says Hopkins. "And some know but shoot anyway, because they or their client paid to take home a trophy, male or female, and they will, at any cost."

About The Cougar Fund: The Cougar Fund is a non-profit educational organization based in Jackson Hole, Wyoming whose mission is to protect the cougar throughout the Americas. The Cougar Fund educates the public on the value of cougars in nature and promotes the gathering and application of sound science in their management. By advocating thriving populations of cougars, The Cougar Fund ensures that these beautiful, legendary creatures-known for their grace, independence and incorruptibly wild nature -- may exist in ways that enjoy long-lasting public support.