🚀 go-pugleaf

Can someone quickly send me some info on the current status of the
Mountain Lion?  Is it still considered endangered?  Another Lion was
shot Tuesday in Clearlake, and I need some facts before I write to
the authorities. The following is todays article in the Record Bee.

LAKE COUNTY RECORD BEE  By Keith Bowers, staff writer
Thursday Mar 12
COUGAR KILLS SHEEP, THEN FELLED BY TRAPPER

CLEARLAKE OAKS-A mountain lion responsible for killing two lambs on
a Clearlake ranch was killed and removed Thursday by a federal
trapper.
  Frank Johnston, owner of a ranch on Sulphur Banks Mine Road said
he
discovered his animals had been killed Tuesday morning when he went
to feed his livetock at 7:30 a.m.
  Johnston said he called the state Department of Fish and Game, who
dispatched a trapper from the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
  The trapper showed up at Johnston's property and found and killed
the cat the same day, he said.
  Johnston said he left his property in the morning and when he
returned for lunch "there were two men and one big mountain Lion in
front of me."
  He described the predator as weighing 125 lbs. and measuring 7
feet in length.
  Department of Fish and Game supervisor Bruce Cocharan said a
ballot initiave passed two years ago takes the authority to trap the
cats out of his departments jurisdiction.
 "We can't manage them anymore," Cochran said.  Proposition 117 took
care of that for us."
  State officials can only issue permits to have the lions removed
by federal trappers after damage has been done to livestock, pets or
humans, he said.
  Cochran and Johnston said that people in the same area of
Clearlake Oaks have had problems with losing livestock to the big
cats, and that more have been sighted in recent years.
  Johnson said he intends to write state representatives to see what
they can do about the law.
  "When they (mountains Lions) come this close to your property,
it's out of hand," he said, "They're beautiful animals, but it has
got to stop someplace."
  Three years ago, a mountain Lion killed six sheep, including a
mother, on Johnston's land.  The following year he said that two
miniature goats fell prey to the cats.
  Adult female mountain lions range from 85 to 115 pounds while
males can weigh from 100 to 140 lbs.

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This sort of thing outrages me.  Clearly, if there has been a
problem before why doesn't the rancher take measures to PROTECT his
livestock.  Sheep are easy prey to any predator, certainly more are
killed by running dogs each year than mountain lions.

From the jist of this article it sounds like someone could live in a
remote area and lose his little yappy dog or ranging cat to a
mountain lion and it would be legal for the trapper to come and
shoot it.

I would appreciate any info on status of lions, and also any
organization I should send this to that might be working toward the
protection of lions.

I would urge any of you concerned to send letters to Fish and Game
supervisor Bruce Cochran and the Department of Agriculture regarding
the trapper.  Also a barage of letters protesting this to our state
officials and the Record Bee will get the message across this is not
okay.  It sounds like NO effort was made to trank and relocate the
lion.

LAKE COUNTY RECORD-BEE
Readers Views
P.O. Box 849
Lakeport, Ca 95453
Letters must include name and city of origin of writer and a phone
number must be included though not printed.  Please double space and
typewrite.

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE, COUNTY TRAPPER
833  Lakeport Bl.
Lakeport 95453  707-263-2271

STATE DEPARTMENT OF FISH AND GAME
Napa regional office  region headquarters
7329 Silverado Tri.
Napa, Ca
I don't know if the rancher called this office or the main state
office in Sacramento

Karen Sullivan