“Supporters of this measure have made a good argument that hunting mountain lions with dogs and trapping bobcats is cruel, inhumane, and unnecessary from a wildlife management perspective,” the editorial states.

We were saddened to read that the board will not support and want the wildlife commissioners (political appointees of the sitting governors who set policy) to make these changes.

That’s great, but the history of Prop 127 shows that in 32 years nothing has changed and will never change without a “yes” to Prop 127.

In 1992, Coloradans asked wildlife commissioners to protect bears from harassment and harassment and to protect cubs from being orphaned. We had to pass a ballot measure when the system failed on wildlife. In 1996, we passed a measure to stop the indiscriminate and cruel use of stocks for the same reason.

Six years ago, among citizens concerned about baiting and the unlimited killing of bobcats was southwest Colorado veterinarian Dr. Christine Capaldo, who discovered that a trapper had placed bait in a metal cage and then He strangled him using a stick that dog catchers use with a noose on the end. . He tells us that the animal took 3 minutes to die, suffering.

If this were his dog, that trapper would have been sentenced to felony animal cruelty based on excruciating pain and trauma.

She, along with 208,000 citizens, sent a petition to Colorado Parks and Wildlife Commissioners to end bobcat trapping.

Citizens’ concerns were dismissed as unimportant.

Today, fur trappers still use cat food as bait and terrorize bobcats with dogs. An unlimited number of them are beaten or strangled without having any idea of ​​their population. I am referring to lynxes, not trappers, who number 700 or a tiny 0.01% of the human population.

The methods are more brutal today. Some say they are shot in the eyes, at an angle up to the throat to avoid blood spatter that ruins the price of fur coats on the Chinese market. Copper tubing with a brass elbow is popular for opening skulls. Fur trapping violates the North American model of wildlife conservation in every way. It’s disgusting, torturing and selling native wildlife.

For mountain lions, Larimer County deer hunter Dave Ruane was just one of many hunters trying to get his wildlife agency to stop ruining ethical hunting in Colorado through what is essentially canned hunting. Packs of dogs are the hunters, but dogs do not buy hunting licenses. Trophy hunter Derek Wolfe described how he spent at least an hour even finding the terrified lion in a tree only to shoot it at point-blank range.

The citizens went to the Legislature.

Years ago, a bill in the Legislature would have protected mountain lions from trophy hunters, but like each of the 500 mountain lions raised by packs of dogs and torn from tree branches each year in Colorado, that bill law fell and died.

The facts are that trophy hunting guides paid $8,500 to send packs of dogs to contain a mountain lion in a tree. As advertised, these handlers will “take you to your trophy,” where the dogs “have tracked your trophy.” 100% guaranteed. The client is driven to a remote forest, while a phone app tracks the GPS signal bouncing off the dogs’ collars. Some dogs are injured, suffer fractures to their backs and some have even been abandoned. That’s why 119 Colorado veterinarians say YES to Proposition 127.

This blatantly violates the NAM’s principle of fair prosecution. The lion doesn’t stand a chance.

About 250 of the 500 lions killed for trophies are females, meaning kittens starve without mothers, says Dr. Rick Hopkins, PhD, a lion researcher for four decades.

What I mean is that citizens have made a valiant effort to work within the political system.

Wildlife belongs to all citizens and majestic predators exist for the health and balance of nature.

Where lions are no longer hunted, predators exist with stability and among deer in natural balance. This is true in California, which has not hunted lions for half a century and where an average of nine lions are killed annually due to conflicts.

Proposition 127 provides exceptions for professionals to handle rare individual cats that present risks as proven best practices.

It is time for smart citizens to exercise their democratic freedom and VOTE YES on Proposition 127 to protect native feral cats from state-sanctioned cruelty. And invest in ethical outdoor recreation, including hunting, to achieve the true balance of nature throughout Colorado.

Colorado native Julie Marshall is a journalist, former public information officer for the Colorado Division of Wildlife, and a volunteer with the Proposition 127 campaign.