Cougars (Puma concolor) have come a long way from shoot-on-sight vermin to ambassadors of wildlife. The big cats are much more top-of-mind as urban sprawl brings them into closer contact with people. Efforts to protect them are gaining ground. Now Texas cougars gain safety as the Lone Star State has enacted first-ever protections for the cats.
According to KEYE Austin conservationists are hailing a recent state decision. The Texas Parks and Wildlife Commission recently banned “canned” cougar hunting. That involves animals being confined to a small area so that “hunters” have little difficulty making a kill.
They also banned keeping cougars trapped for more than 36 hours. Of the two measures the canned hunting was the least controversial as most hunters in Texas hunt ethically. The trapping measure was more of an issue as cougars do attack livestock and the area is so vast it can be difficult to get to a trapped animal.
The decisions mean that the Texas cougars and their future are. on the radar of Texas biologists. They are first steps and are far short of laws in California where Cougars are well protected.
They do have friends in the state including the Texans for Mountain Lions Coalition. The coalition is a broad grass roots organization with conservationist, landowner and biologist members.
Mountain lions are not considered in immediate danger. They range from Canada south to Argentina. It is the largest north south range of any cat. But numbers are uncertain and some area may face local extinction.
California recently surveyed its cougars and came up with what is a smaller and probably more accurate number. About 4,500 cougars roam California, most of which is good habitat. That number is much lower than previously thought. Nationwide there may be as many as 40,000 of the cats, but that number is by no means certain. As Texas cougars gain safety a clearer picture of their numbers should emerumbge. In contrast to California, Texas may have only 400 cougars, according to some estimates.
Most of the cougars in Texas as thought to be in the west and south of the state. There are no controls on killing them as of now.
In Cal
According to KEYE Austin