Comments on: Mountain Lion Snared in Western Kerr County

By: Adele

Adele — Wed, 05 Oct 2011 16:09:47 +0000

Jacy, over 30,000 people die in the U.S. each year in automobile accidents. I think that is a cause worth get worked up and writing about—not about the handful of mountain lions that get snared or shot each year by hunters.

And as far as 100 people being killed by hunters each year. The fact is, those 100 people are hunters, most dying from self-inflicted wounds/injuries. You may dislike hunters, but have some compassion for people. A fall from a tree, a heart attack or any other number of things that can wrong do occasionally does.

By: Jacy

Jacy — Tue, 04 Oct 2011 19:42:42 +0000

Oh for goodness sake! I am SICK TO DEATH of the country vs. city argument! Not everyone who is offended by the needless death of wild animals lives in the freaking city! I live on a ranch and I understand the “way of life,” etc., and yet I was deeply offended by the cavalier tone of this article. Do you proud cougar killing ranchers even know what the stats are on for mountain lion kills? Forget killing people – hunters kill more people accidentally than cougars do. FAR more. (About 100 people are killed per year in hunting accidents, while there have only been 23 people killed by cougars in the last 100 years). I’ll use sheep as an example because cougars kill more sheep than any other livestock animal. In Texas, cougars kill about 500 sheep per year out of a population of around 2 mill – that’s .02 percent. Total predation loses in Texas per year, however, are around 23,000. Point is, yes, predation is a problem – but cougar predation is not a problem. It’s barely even a footnote to a problem. Getting upset about the single sheep you lost to a cougar attack is ridiculous. Try worrying about the hundreds you lost due to starvation and other preventable diseases.

But back to the offensive, cavalier tone of this article. I have – none of us have – any real idea what the ranchers who found the cougar really felt. But the person who wrote the article was positively glee-ful that a cougar had been killed in the trap. By golly, you can trap any predator in a coyote trap – how cool is that! Instead of mourning the loss of a beautiful and, as the writer noted, a “solitary and secretive” animal that most people haven’t even ever seen in the wild (much less been affected by in any way whatsoever, rancher or not), the writer seemed to suggest that the death of any and “every” predator is a victory for mankind. That is just ignorant and, frankly, disturbing. The so-called “country way of life” you all are defending against the presumed “ignorant city folk” is just as ignorant in it’s own way as you accuse others of being. Get over yourselves!

Closing your eyes and putting your fingers in your ears doesn’t change the fact that the environment, and yes, including predators, needs as much protection and care as your fences and livestock. I’m certainly not condemning these ranchers for the accidental death of a single cougar in an attempt to secure their livestock and livelihood from more serious problems and predators. What I have a problem with – and what all of you should have a problem with – is the sense of glee and pleasure you seem to feel at the death of an animal.

Death – any death, whether necessary or not – should make you feel sad, not happy. And those of us who do feel upset are not cowards or idiots or ignorant or even necessarily city-folk – we are the best of mankind, our sympathy helps us to make the world a better place, for ranchers and city-folk alike. One only need consider Temple Grandin’s work to understand the ways in which sympathy can protect and enhance ranching while yet protecting and enhancing the lives of the animals we depend upon for our “way of life.”

By: PXIONG

PXIONG — Fri, 17 Jun 2011 06:25:33 +0000

Brenda, Amen!

By: Brenda Kramer

Brenda Kramer — Wed, 04 May 2011 01:34:45 +0000

This mountain lion was killed on my father’s ranch in Mountain Home, Texas. Do I think all mountain lions need to be killed? Of course not, only those that cross our fence and attack our livestock. We will continue to protect our land and the livestock on it. As far as snares killing kids, that is probably one of dumbest things I have ever heard. Some people have no clue about everyday ranch life and should leave our way of life alone. We do not and don’t want to live in the city. We continue to see signs of more lions on the ranch and given the chance, we will get them too.

By: Erin

Erin — Sat, 30 Apr 2011 02:29:30 +0000

Predators keep the deer population healthy by culling the sick, old and wounded. Hunters, on the other hand, take the strongest, most fertile bucks. Some in the hunting community want to eliminate predators to artificially increase the prey animal populations. This is just plain lazy and diminishes the health of the deer population. There are plenty of deer for both mountain lions and people to hunt. Share and share alike and we can maintain the natural balance of a healthy ecosystem.

Further, predatory animals very rarely harm humans. They are afraid of us and we are a much greater threat to them than they are to us. If you are worried about your children, it might be prudent get a dog or have them walk in groups and make a lot of noise. Or hey, you could always watch them yourself! You could even move to the city and leave the country for people who aren’t afraid of everything on four (or more) legs.