Texas’ biggest cat deserves better protection

Although most people have probably never seen one of these solitary cats, the mountain lion is an important part of Texas’ ecosystem, identity and history. But they can be hunted without restriction in our state. We hope residents will speak up in favor of changing that.

The Texas Parks and Wildlife Department is asking for resident input on proposed rule changes that would mark the first attempt to control the state’s mountain lion population. Residents can voice their opinion through an online survey until 5 p.m. on May 22. The following day, the TPWD commissioners will vote on the proposal, according to advocacy group Texans for Mountain Lions, and we hope they approve it.

The new rules would ban “canned hunting” for mountain lions, which involves hunting and killing captive animals. It’s the worst sort of hunting in our view, and something Texas can do without.

The proposed rules would also make it illegal to leave a live mountain lion in a trap or snare for more than 36 hours. The idea is to prevent animals from languishing in traps for days, waiting to die. Lawful hunting and trapping of mountain lions would remain under this proposal.

These measures are a good start, but we want to see these animals better protected. Texas classifies mountain lions as a “species of greatest conservation need.” Ranked between imperiled and vulnerable, that means just what it sounds like.

Right now, Texas mountain lions are considered a “nongame” species, and they can be killed any time of year, without seasons, bag limits or harvest reporting. That can make it difficult to track populations. We think the state should institute closed seasons and bag limits, and add permitting and reporting requirements.

The rule changes being considered right now emanate from the Texas Mountain Lion Stakeholder Working Group, a 19-member body created in 2022 to discuss changes to how mountain lions are managed, according to a Texas Farm Bureau news release.

The group was created to make recommendations across topics including the development of a mountain lion management plan for Texas, according to the news release, which is sorely needed.

Joseph Fitzsimons, the group’s chairman, said there isn’t a full management plan yet largely because of a lack of data. Gathering more information about mountain lions is a key step to better conservation, and we think a great avenue for doing that is to more tightly control how and when they can be hunted, and importantly, to add reporting requirements.

Of 16 states with populations of breeding mountain lions, Texas is the only one that doesn’t regulate hunting and trapping of the species, according to Texans for Mountain Lions. It shouldn’t be that way. It’s time for Texas to take better care of these important predators.

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