Proposition 127: Prohibit bobcat, lynx and mountain lion hunting

Propositions with three numbers (e.g., Proposition 127, Proposition 128, etc.) are measures amending state statutes.

Proposition 127 is a grassroots citizens initiative that would make it illegal to hunt, shoot at, or trap bobcats, lynx, and mountain lions in Colorado. The only exceptions are for the protection of human life, property and livestock. Violation would be a Class 1 misdemeanor punishable by a fine and limiting of the violator’s wildlife hunting privileges.

The measure is supported by Cats Aren’t Trophies, and is endorsed by animal welfare societies, wildlife sanctuaries and rescues, Audubon Societies, Wild Earth Guardians and the Sierra Club, among others.

Arguments in favor of Proposition 127 are that big cats aren’t hunted or used for food, but rather as trophies, and that hunting and trapping them is cruel. Researchers say the measure would not contribute to an explosion in the number of these wild cats. In 1971, California enacted a moratorium on killing mountain lions with a measure that was signed by then-Governor Ronald Reagan. The state then enacted a permanent ban on killing mountain lions in 1990, and the population is estimated to have decreased during that time owing to road kill accidents, poisonings, poaching and habitat destruction due to climate change and development.

Arguments against the measure are that ballot measures like this, initiated by citizens, undermine scientifically-based management of wildlife.

Recommended vote on Proposition 127: YES

Mountain lion caught in a leg hold trap in Wyoming. (Photo: Instagram)

 

  5 comments for “Proposition 127: Prohibit bobcat, lynx and mountain lion hunting

  1. Prohibit the hunting of wild life. Their carcasses are thrown away most of the time. We need them for our eco system.

    Revoke hunting licenses for these animals and make a sanctuary for them.

  2. Hunting lynx is already illegal everywhere but Alaska.
    I signed the petition so…
    But what the petitioner didn’t disclose is that when someone gets a tag for a big cat, they go through some kind of rigorous classes and learn that they must dress the meat for human consumption.
    They are, however, allowed to use dogs.
    If the prop passes, like the wild wolf prop passed, I guess we’ll see how it works out.

  3. Due to decades of the U.S. Government prioritizing the financial interests of agribusiness and the hunting industry—using pseudoscience and outright lies to justify the extermination efforts of wolves and then coyotes—I no longer trust their motivations when they refer to “hunting” as “wildlife management.” Americans have handed over decisions about the right of most predatory species to exist to a few commercial businesses, the Farm Bureau, and some state and federal agencies, which serve them. The cattle industry is one of the few private, for-profit sectors that expects zero risk in doing business, a guarantee subsidized by hundreds of millions of taxpayer dollars.

    Let’s be honest—hunters who claim to be “helping with wildlife management” are not. They simply enjoy hunting and have adopted industry language to present themselves as part of a scientific effort. Terms like “wildlife management,” the USDA’s “Wildlife Services,” or the former Bureau of Biological Survey (now the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service) were all crafted to create confusion, suggesting these agencies exist to protect wildlife. In reality, their true purpose has been to serve commercial interests, far removed from the welfare of the wildlife they claim to manage.

    The result has not been a healthier America but an environment with severely damaged ecosystems. Vote YES on Proposition 127 unless you wish to serve the narrow interests of private, for-profit industries.

  4. As someone who hunted in my younger years, I am in favor of Prop 127. There is no sportsmanship in treeing a cat with dogs, killing it at close range, posing with it, then posting it all over social media. And they are lying when they say they will eat the meat.

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