The Prowler usually eschews political debate, but one ballot measure that's before the voters this month begs this cat's input. Proposition 197 would take mountain lions off the state's list of specially protected mammals and require the Fish and Game Commission to manage my wild cousins.
"Wildlife management" is, of course, a euphemism for population control, and if you have any doubts as to what this control amounts to, just ask the ducks and squirrels at Vasona.
The folks who put this measure on the ballot did so because of the increase in mountain lion attacks against people in recent years. As a cat who has learned to love living among the humans, the Prowler understands this concern but sides with fellow felines on this one. The reason mountain lions were placed under special protection in the first place is because they were almost hunted to extinction, and even as they've made a comeback, they've discovered more and more humans in their natural habitat.
Meanwhile, the people who live in houses in the hills or go jogging on our ever-expanding trail system are having a hard time adjusting to their new neighbors' wild life style. Granted, some mountain lions haven't made a very good first impression, but that's no reason to penalize the whole lot of 'em.
The way Proposition 197 is written, it would allow anyone who felt "threatened" by a mountain lion to shoot first and ask questions later. Consider instead a bill introduced last week by state Sen. Nicholas Petris (D-Oakland) as a rider to Prop 197. Petris has added 12 important words: "Nothing in law legalizes the sport or trophy hunting of mountain lions."
Hear, hear. This is as it should be. This feline wouldn't want to see a natural predator become prey again, especially if it would mean that the only mountain lions our descendents would ever see would be stuffed and mounted.
This article appeared in the Los Gatos Weekly-Times, March 20, 1996.
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