Activist groups seeking to end trophy hunting of cougars, bobcats and lynx in Colorado are pointing to a new report that says the big cats play a key role in curbing the deadly chronic wasting disease.
Currently, 42 of the state’s 51 deer herds and 17 of the state’s 42 elk herds are infected with chronic wasting disease (CWD). The disease is a fatal neurological disorder for which there is no cure and is increasingly viewed as a long-term threat to the state’s elk hunting and hunting season, which brings in billions of dollars each year, according to Cats Aren’t Trophies (CATs) advocates.
CATs is a Colorado bill on the ballot in November that would end trophy hunting for the heads and trapping of pelts of cougars, bobcats and lynx in Colorado, according to supporters. The bill would allow Colorado Parks and Wildlife to manage individual cats that pose a danger to people and domestic animals, including livestock and pets.
The causative agent of CWD is an abnormal, infectious protein called a prion that spreads through urine, feces and saliva, and indirectly through contact with a contaminated environment. According to a new press release from CATs, Animal Wellness Action and the Center for a Humane Economy, health officials advise against eating deer or elk meat from CWD-infected animals because this meat can infect humans.
The new report by Jim Keen, DVM, PhD and former USDA veterinarian and infectious disease researcher, is titled: “Big cats as a natural defense against diseases” describes how mountain lions prefer to hunt sick deer and elk, which offers great ecological and economic benefits to Colorado, the press release said.
Their predatory nature may reduce the incidence of CWD and underscores the ability of native cats to rid deer and elk herds of the brain-wasting disease that was identified in Colorado in the late 1960s, Keen explains in the press release.
“With no vaccine or cure for chronic wasting disease, wildlife managers are struggling to find solutions,” Keen, who now serves as director of veterinary sciences at the Center for a Humane Economy, noted in the press release.
“Perhaps the best policy response in Colorado right now is to stop killing about 500 cougars a year, conducting a population cleanup at no cost to the state, and protecting the long-term health and viability of deer populations,” Keen said.
According to the press release, the report lists five lines of evidence in favor of predator cleanup:
1. Predator-prey ecology and disease modeling: Mathematical models suggest that hunting by mountain lions (and also wolves) can significantly reduce CWD prevalence over time.
2. Empirical observations: Field studies in Colorado show that mountain lions are more likely to hunt CWD-infected deer than healthy deer.
3. Laboratory experiments: Research shows that coyotes, mountain lions and bobcats can inactivate CWD prions during digestion, reducing environmental pollution. Unless the prion is ingested by a predator, it can survive in the environment for years and possibly even decades.
4. Biogeography of the disease: In ecologically healthy areas with wolf or mountain lion populations with little or no hunting pressure, CWD prevalence tends to be much lower than in areas without these apex predators of the deer family.
5. Negative spatial correlation: Maps of North America show a negative association between predator distribution and CWD occurrence.
Trophy hunting
The new report questions the long-standing practice of trophy hunting mountain lions in Colorado, the state where CWD first spread in North America, the press release said.
The press release goes on to say that trophy hunting for pumas has become increasingly sophisticated and commercial, with hunting guides guaranteeing the killing of trophy cats.
The hallmark of trophy hunting is the killing of large animals. In the 2023-24 season, approximately 500 pumas will be killed annually (53% males and 47% females). Killing adult males kills the most efficient animals capable of killing traditional prey, the press release said.
And the killing of up to 250 females, many with dependent cubs that become orphaned and die, slows the recovery of the cougar population and reduces the intensity of hunting for infected deer and elk, activists say.
“You don’t have to be a wildlife biologist like me to understand that cougars play a critical role in the ecology of Colorado and the West,” Elaine Leslie, a Durango-based wildlife biologist and former National Park Service biological services chief, said in the release. “These animals provide an antidote to disease in deer and elk, they target animals that pose a risk of spreading disease, and they ensure protection of Colorado’s biodiversity and an important part of our rural economy.”
Colorado’s big cats are often viewed as competitors to hunters, but they appear to play a critical role in curbing the more extreme spread of CWD, Keen said.
“In short, if you want to protect hunting and other forms of wildlife recreation associated with deer and elk, then protect mountain lions and let them provide their free predator cleanup services,” Keen said. “Mountain lions are deer and elk hunters’ best friends.”
