The Fish and Wildlife guys just killed a cougar in my area.

[Cleita]

I feel strangely sad. I have seen cougar prints in the mud on our property on and off for years and once I even saw one climbing the hill behind my house. They follow the deer herds, but I'm sure they keep the coyote populations down too. They have a range of a hundred square miles in my area.

He made the mistake of going into the brush around the campgrounds down on the beach. I know they felt that children were in danger, yet he didn't kill or attack anyone. I really wonder why they had to kill him? There is so much uninhabited wilderness behind the populated areas, it seems he could have been relocated.

[Cleita]

1. Oh, no. Just in. They shot him. No tranquilizer darts or putting

him to sleep. Animal rights activists, isn't there a law against this?

[Southsideirish]

5. Where do you live?

[Cleita]

6. The Pismo Beach area.

This happened in the Pismo Beach State Campground on the beach. We are pretty rural here, in spite of tourist attractions and hotels.

[Digit]

2. That is sad

Wouldn't there be a pair of them? If so, one just lost it's mate.
Sad, sad, sad.

[Cleita]

7. No Cougars are pretty solitary. They only come together to

mate and then go their separate ways. I'm glad it wasn't a female. It's the time of year she could have had cubs.

[roguevalley]

3. I hate it when they do that. They kill bears up here and it makes me

crazy. So, so sad.

[Joey Liberal]

4. What a shame

They could have sedated it and relocated it. But that would be against the Bush way of thinking.

[HeeBGBz]

8. We have a black panther on the loose in my area

They can't seem to catch him though.

[Cleita]

9. Is it feral or native?

If native, why would it be loose? Wouldn't that be part of its habitat?

[HeeBGBz]

18. There are reports of native panthers for years

My sister and bro-in-law says they've seen one in their compost/garbage heap.

This particular one may be a pet turned loose. I'm not sure why they say that but that's the theory.

We do have them wild, I think, but they are rare sightings.

[yella_dawg]

10. I grew up in cougar country.

I walked up on one that was sunning itself on a rock once. It was hard on livestock, but I never felt personally threatened, even that one time when I pushed my luck. I disagree with shooting such creatures. Unless they are "insane" they ignore humans. Is there any posibility this cat approached humans? I had that happen once. I was camped close to it's den, I think. I got the hell out immediately, and the cat let it slide. (I did feel personally threatened that time, but I suspect wrongly so.)

[Cleita]

11. No, it was just sighted and Fish and Game were called.

The campers were interviewed. They said the officials cornered it to observe it and then made the decision to destroy it. Then they heard several shots.

I don't think it threatened anyone. When I was a campground host I used to make a lot of loud noises to scare any cats or bears that got too close. They were more afraid of me than I was of them.

I think this guy might have been cruising for ducks and geese. There are plenty of them down there not to mention seagulls and pelicans.

[yella_dawg]

13. That's sad.

They are beautiful creatures and no threat to us. You'd think Fish and Game would know better.

[Poppyseedman]

12. Pretty strange comments on this thread based on no know facts

First of all, most Fish and Wildlife personnel have a deep and abiding respect for animals and nature or they won't be doing what they do.

Secondly, it is assumed that their attitude is reflected by who's in the white house, I'm sure most of those personnel are far to busy doing their job to wonder or care what bush thinks about killing cougars.

Thirdly, I'm reasonable sure if they could have caught the cougar to relocate it, they would have if it was healthy.

Fourth, if the cougar was beginning to be unafraid of going into populated areas like a beach, maybe it was sick or in distress and needed to be put down.

Lastly, there have attacks on people by cougars for various reasons and if this cougar had attacked or killed a human, this thread would be an entirely different tune.

[peacebaby3]

14. So sad.

I sometimes think we (humans) have just taken over almost every bit of habitat and we leave them no choice but to be near us. I do understand that it could be dangerous if the cougar was near children or domestic pets, but it just seems we have left them no choice.

I really think there should be an inquiry into why they could not sedate and move the cougar! Although if someone doesn't stay on top of this, it will never be looked into and will be forgotten in a couple of days.

A few years back in the state where I live, they raided a puppy mill and found other animals (not domesticated, skunks, raccoons, ferrets, etc.) being raised as well. The Wildlife/Game and Fish said they all had to be put down because they were considered wild animals, but all of these animals had been raised in cages as pets. If they had not busted this woman for negligence, she would have been allowed to sell them as pets - she had the required license. We (a group of animal lovers in the state) went to court over it and found them a sanctuary (in the state because non- domestic animals cannot be transported across state lines) that was willing to take them in and give them a good home as well as make sure they were carefully quarantined for the correct time (of course, these animals had never been in the wild, they were raised in cages!)but it was to no avail, the judge ruled against us and the Game and Fish gassed them all a few days later. It's suppose to be humane, but they take them all in cages in a big room and gas them!

My point is that Wildlife/Game and Fish is run by the government, but most of the people there are hunters, etc. and they aren't very saddened by the death of an animal (at least where I live) so I don't really care too much for Game and Fish as a general rule. The best thing I can say for them is that I hope they are at least ethical hunters. Needless to say, I disagree with the earlier poster based on my personal dealings with Game and Fish.

[MisterP]

17. people often think of animals as little more than ambulatory squash;

quite sad, really (and suprematist, I might add)

[lastknowngood]

15. If they would allow chase hunt to tree and no kill then the problems

with cougars and bears would go away. When they lose their fear of man then man becomes prey. All you have to do is train them to fear men and dogs and all the problems will go away. I don't know why people can't figure this out it is so simple.

[Cleita]

16. Probably because there is too much common sense

there. :-). Also the campgrounds were pretty empty all winter. I think he probably was down there by himself with a good feeding ground of fowl. Too bad they didn't relocate him.