MICHIGAN WILDLIFE CONSERVANCY POLICY REGARDING COUGARS

The Michigan Wildlife Conservancy (MWC) mission to help wildlife is defined as follows: To restore and conserve fish, wildlife and habitat.

The following is the MWC's goal on cougars as adopted by the Board of Trustees on March 15, 2003:

The MWC seeks to foster an effective management program for cougars that ensures the minimum genetic diversity to support a small, sustainable population.

The MWC hopes to accomplish this goal through the following recommendations:

1. Full recognition of the species as wild, resident and breeding.

2. Stop the illegal killing of cougars.

3. Develop a reward program for tips on illegal kills.

4. Educate Michigan citizens about cougar biology and how to avoid dangerous encounters.

5. Assess viability of the population by doing genetic testing.

6. Don't change any forest/wildlife management practices.

7. Don't close roads or set aside certain lands.

8. Manage cougar numbers under a social carrying capacity concept.

9. No kill permits unless human life threatened.

10. Act against cougars that appear habituated, are too observable, or repeatedly kill livestock.

11. Consider a legally established no-kill season for hound hunters.

12. Remove excess animals through hunting or other means.