Three cougar kittens less than a year old were killed by Idaho Fish and Game officials because they believed that the kittens were malnourished and they could not be returned to the wild. They also stated there was no place to place them either, an unfortunate series of events, some of which aren’t setting well with some people, myself included.
What I’m bothered with is that without any evidence to base a claim, Idaho Fish and Game personnel are saying that the reason the kittens were malnourished is because hunters with hounds were so busy treeing the mother lion she didn’t have time to kill a deer and feed her young.
An Associated Press piece in the Seattle Times, repeats what Carl Anderson of the Idaho Department of Fish and Game said.
Three malnourished mountain lion kittens killed this week at the direction of a state wildlife biologist may have been starving because they and their mother had been treed so often by hunters that the adult cat had no time to hunt, the biologist says.
“It’s really unfortunate that this happened,” said Carl Anderson of the Idaho Department of Fish and Game.
Anderson lays his claims based on anecdotal evidence that hound hunters were treeing a female cougar in the Mink Creek area so as to take photographs.
“I believe it is conceivable the female hadn’t had time to kill a deer for a while because she’s been on the run quite often,” Anderson told the Idaho State Journal.
It may be conceivable but I’m not sure that it is very likely when you consider the facts. One thing we should consider is how long it takes for three kittens to become malnourished to the extent described by authorities? We also have to consider just how many hound hunters it would take to keep one mountain lion busy enough for however long it takes to starve her kittens. It think it is probably more unlikely that would happen than Mr. Anderson’s claim of conceivable odds.
Mark Gamblin an Idaho Fish and Game supervisor in the Southeast Region, explained that the use of hounds is often for the purpose of taking pictures only. He reiterated state law which says it is unlawful to shoot a mother lion with kittens but he did say he doesn’t know what happened to the mother of these now dead kittens.
“I think it’s very unlikely that the mother would have abandoned the kittens,” he said.
It may be unlikely but using the same tactics as Mr. Anderson did, we can also claim the it is conceivable the mother did abandon the three kittens or that the mother was killed in some fashion and the kittens, unable to fend for themselves as officials claim, have been wandering about starving to death. Why wasn’t this claim made? Isn’t it as “conceivable”?
But maybe this isn’t how Idaho Fish and Game officials want the fairy tale to end. I think that it is extremely irresponsible for any fish and game personnel, which would include the top dog, to state publicly that hound hunters were the result of the three kittens death when they don’t know that nor do they have evidence that can actually support such a claim. Until they do know the facts, they should be stating they don’t know and when they do they will pass the information on.
I don’t know if Mr. Anderson and any or all the rest of the Idaho Fish and Game have issues with hound hunting but making statements like this sure do make all of us ask questions. When officials release poor information based on one person’s speculative conceptions, it prompts media outlets to spew that same thing.
Pete Zimowsky is an outdoor writer for the Idaho Statesman and also has a blog. I think I may have visited his site another time. Mr. Zimowsky’s blog about this event points a finger directly at hound hunters saying the killing of the kittens gives hound hunters a “black eye”.
Whether Zimowsky is simply relaying the rhetoric he has been getting from IDFG or his blog is a representation of his own opinions, I’m not sure. He doesn’t give credit to the source of his information directly so we are left to assume.
Below is a list of some of the phrases he uses to describe the event.
….Idaho wildlife biologists believe their mother had been treed so many times by hunters with…. hounds
An Idaho Fish and Game officer believed the female lion hadn’t had time to kill a deer
it’s almost like the hunters involved pulled the trigger on the kittens.
The constant chasing of the female cougar apparently caused the deaths of the young animals.
Fish and Game doesn’t have any idea what happened to the mother.
From what I can gather, this is the kind of information being put out by the IDFG. Is this really in the best interest of the state of Idaho and its fish and game department? It is seldom that any state agency, particularly if there was in anyway an investigation taking place that may ultimately result in charges, would make statements not based on any reliable information.
IDFG “believe” this and “apparently” that happened and it was “just as if” and “may have”.
Unfortunately, this is the same tactic we have seen time and again from the IDFG. Whether it comes down from the top or individual employees are allowed to publicly make statements to further personal agendas, it has to stop. IDFG has made statements not based on facts before to discredit other entities like the Idaho Elk Breeders and when the state battled over bear hunting with bait, etc., as some examples.
I’ll admit that at times it is difficult to completely separate personal ideals from the job of being a wildlife biologists or an officer of the fish and game, but being allowed to make statements laced with “beliefs”, “may haves” and “conceivable” is irresponsible.
Tom Remington
