Public Safety or Public Trickery :: Proposition 197 Mountain Lions Wildlife Essays

Public Safety or Public Trickery In past years, the debate over human and fold lion interaction has been instead heated. The calcium Legislature has addressed issues concerning the hunting of mountain lions for over 80 years. On March 26, 1996, the most recent ballot measure deciding the requirement of the California cougar (Felis concolor), proposition 197, was not passed. This would have repealed the 1990 passing of Proposition 117, which banned all trophy hunting of mountain lions, allowing only trained subdivision of Fish and Game officials to kill lions that became a threat to public safety and welfare. While compassion is felt for the victims of the relatively few mountain lion attacks, the denial of Proposition 197, which would have ended a 25 year ban on cougar hunting, was a victory for the California cougar as well as the welfare of California wildlife. Traditional Beliefs Before current knowledge of mountain lion activity had been researched, it was commonly believe d that mountain lions were ferocious killers which crept down from the mountains to bollocks in midnight feasts on livestock and pets. Of course, the worst harbored fear was the possibility of losing children, family and friends to these wild predators. Besides the past 25 years, little concern was given to the condition of mountain lion populations in California and much of the western United States. Between 1916 and 1971, more than 12,000 mountain lions were killed for bounties and for sport in California (California Wildlife Protection Coalition, 1995). Past regulation By 1968 mountain lion populations plummeted to an estimated 600, resulting in rapid action of wildlife organizations and state officials. Governor Ronald Reagan became convinced that a moratorium on hunting mountain lions was necessary to value Californias last cougars from extinction. In 1971, he signed a moratorium against trophy hunting of mountain lions (California Wildlife Protection Coalition, 1995). The m oratorium lasted 25 years until it was finalized in 1990 by the passing of Proposition 117 California Wildlife Protection Act of 1990 (Knowles, 1995). In 1994, the National Rifle Association (N.R.A.) and supporters of hunting organizations used the media to spawn public paranoia regarding recent attacks and population resurgence of California mountain lions. With this public support, trophy hunters hoped the passing of Proposition 197 would once again allow them to decimate the lion population for the sake of decorative wall-mountings. Recent joust The past 25 years have proven quite prosperous for the mountain lion population as their numbers have been currently estimated at 4,000-6,000.