Violation! Court ends wanton killings of innocent black bears and mountain lions in Colorado parks and wildlife

U.S. District Court Colorado decided that US Fisheries and Wildlife Service broke the law by funding Colorado parks and wildlife plan to kill hundreds of mountain lions and dozens of black bears without properly analyzing the risks to their populations and their habitats.

“This ordinance immediately ends the use of taxpayer dollars to kill Colorado mountain lions,” said Andrea Zaccardi, senior attorney. Center for Biological Diversity, said in statement. “I’m so glad the court ended these scientifically unfounded plans that were in vain to target Colorado’s ecologically important local predators.”

Mountain lions and black bears are critical to their natural ecosystems. Mountain lion predators provide food for more bird and mammal scavengers than any other predator on the planet. The varied fruit diet of black bears results in wide dispersion of seeds, and their foraging behavior creates interference that allows sunlight to reach plants under the forest canopy.

In response to a lawsuit filed by environmental organizations, the court ruled that the Service violated National Environmental Policy Law agreeing to finance the project with federal money without conducting their own environmental analysis. In addition, the court concluded that the environmental analysis, on which the Service was trying to rely, has been completed. USDA did not adequately analyze the consequences of killing black bears and mountain lions as planned.

Long-term plans to exterminate black bears and mountain lions in The Peace Basin and Upper Arkansas River Areas in Colorado were intended to artificially increase the mule deer population for hunters whose habitat has been degraded by the drilling of oil and gas wells. However, overwhelming scientific evidence shows that killing local big cats does not increase the prey population. Murder plans were developed and approved by Colorado Parks and Wildlife in 2016 g. and funded by the Service in 2017 Nov. despite overwhelming public opposition and objections from leading environmental biologists.

The court agreed that the Service had failed to take into account the significant environmental damage that could have arisen from these plans, such as the damage to the local ecosystem caused by these killings, and the suffering and death of orphaned cubs and kittens.

“This stalking of bears and mountain lions is not only incredibly cruel to these highly intelligent social creatures who have been raising their dependents for years, but also destructive to the environment,” said Laura Smythe, staff attorney. The Humane Society of the United States. “These inhuman plans for killing wild animals left young orphans who probably died of starvation, dehydration, predation or exposure. Intense trophy hunting and the killing of mountain lions lead to increased conflicts with people, pets and livestock. The federal government had no business funding this totally unnecessary state-sponsored massacre. ”

Unfortunately, the Piceance Basin Plan has been completed, but the Upper Arkansas River Plan is ongoing and will be suspended as a result of this decision.

The Upper Arkansas River Plan was approved in 2017 Nov. and expected last nine years, during which time more than fifty% mountain lion populations in the area. Colorado was expecting murder before 234 mountain lions will cost almost four million dollars, 75% of which will be financed from the federal budget at the expense of taxpayers’ money.

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