Contact Governor Gregoire today---last chance to protect cougars in Washington!

The newest version of House Bill 2438, extending a pilot program that began in 2004 for another three years, has successfully passed the legislature and will soon be landing on Governor Gregoire's desk to be signed. Sadly, this bill will allow hound hunting of cougars---whether or not there is a public safety concern---in five counties, and allow other counties to opt in if they meet minimal requirements.

Seven years of trophy hunting cougars with hounds is not a pilot project! Extending the cougar hunting pilot project was a last minute attempt to overturn the wishes of Washington State citizens. Our state overwhelmingly voted to ban the widespread hunting of cougars using hounds in 1996 with passage of I-655.

This bill isn't about managing problem cougars but about trophy hunting. State wildlife agents already have the authority to remove "problem cougars" with hounds when public safety is a concern. This bill is about extending a project, poorly designed from the beginning, to continue widespread indiscriminate hunting of cougars for another three years.

Flood the Governor's office today with respectful requests to uphold the wishes of the citizens by vetoing ESHB 2438! Point out to the Governor that even the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife stated in their pilot project report (dated January 17, 2008) there is insufficient scientific evidence to conclude that using dogs to hunt cougars will reduce human-cougar conflicts. Be sure to tell the Governor's office where you are calling from and to thank them for their time. Then, pass this e-mail on to your family and friends urging them to do the same!

Governor Chris Gregoire
Office of the Governor
PO Box 40002
Olympia, WA 98504-0002
Phone: 360.902.4111
For relay operators for the deaf or hearing impaired, please dial 7-1-1
Fax: 360.753.4110
Send an e-mail

Learn more:

• View SHB 2438 information.
• Read the latest scientific article Washington State cougar population research, which reports that a rise in cougar hunting on a fragile population has not solved the cougar controversy.
• Visit PAWS' 2008 Washington State Legislative Session page for more information on bills affecting animals this year.

Thank you for protecting Washington's delicate cougar population!

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