Colorado May Euthanize Bears and Mountain Lions to Save Deer Population
OutdoorHub Reporters 10.24.16
Wildlife officials in Colorado are proposing a predator control plan to help restore the states mule deer population.
According to the Denver Post, the statewide population is 110,000 short of the 560,000 deer that wildlife managers deem optimal for the state. The predator control push, known as the Piceance Basin predator management plan is proposed to start this winter and would focus on a specific cut of land near Salida. They propose to take up to 15 more lions and 25 more bears a year, according to CPW documents.
But still, The Humane Society of the United States is rallying up their troops to oppose Colorado’s predator control. Of course, they come out pointing the finger at hunters for the decline in deer numbers, but The National Wildlife Federation, has emphasized habitat loss and fragmentation as a cause of the decline of Colorado deer.
So, before the hunters get blamed for the decreasing deer numbers, take a look at all the habitat being destroyed for new home development or oil and natural gas drilling. Those two factors have been detrimental to the Colorado deer population and their habitat that they thrive on.
