- Home
- News
- Opinion
- Letters
- Sports
- Prospecting
- Essentials
- Obituaries
- Real Estate
- Comics
- Gallery
- Classifieds
- Advertisers
- Coupons
- Contact Us
Share Article
374
224374224
EDITOR:
This is the third letter I have written concerning mountain lions and the recent killing of a young mother cougar and cubs. I tried in the first two to make it clear that I definitely like mountain lions. I just do not like situations like having to kill a young cougar mom and her three cubs, or situations in which people are killed. Jenny Allen’s letter led me to realize what I was not saying. So, I’ll try again.
Which parts of California are not mountain lion range? Just the deserts are not, and even along the edges of the deserts cougars can hunt. I live within Placerville city limits and in the empty lot behind my house there are four deer, one a 4-point buck. I love seeing them and say to myself that they are more beautiful than my roses and so I do not chase them away, a bad move on my part. Their presence proves that Placerville is cougar habitat. A home in Diamond Springs would also qualify if we are going to follow through on the idea of people invading cougars’ natural habitat. We are all invading cougar’s natural habitat. The problem is that increasing numbers of cougars will force them into closer contact with people who are not out in the forest, bothering cougars. My grandfather used to tell stories about organizing cougar hunts to drive them out of the Santa Clara Valley in the 1920s.
The point that I am trying to make is that if we want to avoid killing young cougar moms and their cubs, or having people preyed upon, we are going to have to limit population growth of mountain lions. I do not hunt myself, but I would much rather have a licensed hunter kill grown cougars within the forest than see three baby cougars killed anywhere. Thinking about the struggling, hard-working, young mother cougar being shot, and then her three offspring killed also, makes me sick.
If you read in my previous letter about the steps I take to be relatively safe from cougars when I am at my family home in the forest, then you may realize that you do not want to have cougars in your backyard. But, right now, in many areas of El Dorado County, I’ll bet you do. And before you ask: a successful cougar is not seen, even by its dinner.
P.S. Jenny Allen, cougars cannot just use contraceptives or keep it in their pants. 
MADELEINE DAVIDSON
Placerville
The Mountain Democrat does not necessarily condone the comments here, nor does it review every post. Read our full policy
Phil VeerkampDecember 28, 2012 - 10:22 pm
Mountain lion meat is delicious. It’s sort of like fine pork.
robertdnollDecember 29, 2012 - 3:26 am
Trichinosis,good stuff huh?
Phil VeerkampDecember 31, 2012 - 6:20 am
Well done, no worry, Bob.
cookie65December 31, 2012 - 8:49 am
This idea that humans are intruding on the natural habitat of wildlife is obsurd. What exactly is man's natural habitat? Is it a 40 story building surounded by concrete in some lower elevation cesspool? Of course it isn't. Man's natural habitat is everywhere the animals live. Humans have occupied these same exact areas for hundreds if not thousands of years. During the days of the gold rush there were thousands of people in places that are nearly non existant today. If you prefer less population in the cougars "natural habitat", move back to the city.
cookie65December 31, 2012 - 9:01 am
By the way, don't believe for an instant that just because hunting them is illegal means that there aren't people who assist in the population control. There are probalbly more of them shot because it is illegal. It is the nature of leftist policies to get the opposite results.
James E.December 31, 2012 - 9:08 am
As I read the various comments, I'm impressed how people have expertise in various areas. Yet, Cookie has expertise in all areas. We are indeed fortunate that Cookie knows it all and can guide us lesser folks through life.
robertdnollDecember 31, 2012 - 1:40 pm
do we need felons to teach us about crime
cookie65December 31, 2012 - 3:01 pm
James, the idea that we are intruding on the natural habitat of wildlife is just one of many lies repeated so many times over the last 40 years that most people just accept it without any thought. I have never been that way. Call it a natural cynicism. Just because something gets repeated a bunch of times doesn't make it true. One of my all time favorites is "our diversity is what makes us great". Only you can prevent forest fires, tell that to the annual lighting storms. Spotted owls live in the old growth forest, actually nothing lives in the old growth forest because there is no food there. Not enough people question what they are told to believe. Deforestation? There more trees in the forest than there were in 1850. Yet they keep right on repeating the lies.
James E.December 31, 2012 - 3:19 pm
Cookie, I don't think the two of us have been discussing wildlife (unless you refer to another James).