Group sues, says fence impedes jaguars

Group sues, says fence impedes jaguars. JJ Hensley. The Arizona Republic

The fence has doomed jaguar recover in the Southwest unless there is an organized reintroduction like the wolf to the Northern Rockies.

Arizona Game and Fish: confusing and error-filled statements about bighorn and desert cougars at Kofa National Wildlife Refuge

If you are not familiar with Kofa, it is huge, almost 700,000 acres.

However, the bighorn have been struggling there, but their numbers are now increasing, a fact the AZ F & G ignored as they announced, but may not honor, a one-year moratorium on removal of desert cougars in the area (perhaps 3 are left).

Blog on the issue.

From PEER. Arizona Game Agency Scapegoats Cougars For Bighorn Travails

Many Captive Tigers Are Of Purebred Ancestry; Finding Raises Their Conservation Value

Many Captive Tigers Are Of Purebred Ancestry; Finding Raises Their Conservation Value. Science Daily.

Washington State cougars pushed to the brink

Cougars in chaos. How a state hunting policy pushed Washington’s big cats to the brink. April 14, 2008. By Liza Gross. High Country News.

Earlier I posted. Special Washington cougar hunt backfires

Other states like Idaho and Oregon are headed down the same path.

First documented wild cougar adoption ever recorded

Wyoming: Cougar mom adopts pair of orphaned male kittens. By Cory Hatch. Jackson Hole News and Guide.

It’s almost like a pack of cougar now! Is part of it protection from wolves?

Mountain Lions Spotted On Idaho State University Campus

Three mountain lions were spotted on the Idaho State University campus the night of March 28-9.

There are a lot of deer in Pocatello, Idaho right now due to the prolonged winter.

Story.

Special Washington cougar hunt backfires

Story in the Seattle Times. Is cougar hunting breeding chaos? By Sandi Doughton. Seattle Times science reporter.

Hunting large carnivores does not have easy, predictable effects; and a recent law passed and signed in Washington state due to increasing cougar attacks on livestock and pets in NE Washington appears to have had the opposite effect and was based on false assumptions (increasing cougar population). The result of the emergency hunt has been even more attacks (young, inexperienced, and not-too-bright cougars), and a big drop in the cougar population in the Selkirk Mountains.

Actually Washington has had a cougar hunt. It was a particular method of hunting that was banned years ago by the citizens. The method of hunting probably has as much of effect as the mere fact of hunting.

I should add that governor Gov. Christine Gregoire (Democrat) just signed a bill to expand the unsuccessful program. She is not wise about these issues. She is also behind letting livestock operators into state wildlife areas in NE Washington to graze (often for free!!!). These areas are mostly formerly private land purchased by taxpayer and ratepayer money. Western Watersheds Project has sued over the program.

I have posted a number of stories in the past about her “graze-the-wildlife-areas-for-free” program.

USFWS greatly expands proposed critical habitat for lynx

This is a great improvement over their first proposal, which was pathetic, and, once again, this new proposal was strongly influenced by the effect of disgraced Julie MacDonald, the deputy assistant secretary of Interior who was far too friendly with industry lobbyists.

So many species have advanced, although not yet to the final stage since she was sent packing, that it almost seems like a good thing she was in her position, eventually serving to make the courts look into the corruption.

Story: Proposal would increase critical lynx habitat. By John Cramer of the Missoulian