Send lions to happy hunting ground
It’s time for residents and public officials to
acknowledge that the noble mountain lions roaming Hailey’s northwest neighborhoods
are killers.
It’s time for the Hailey mayor and city council to intervene and
to see that citizens are safe in their own neighborhoods The Idaho Department of Fish and
Game should either remove the lions or destroy them.
The lions (residents believe more than one has recently padded about
Hailey’s streets) have killed a puppy tethered in a yard, maimed an adult dog, and
killed two rabbits caged inside a barn. These were easy pickings for a lithe and hungry
lion.
Hailey’s lions are learning fast that roaming an area where humans
reside means a full stomach. They’re learning that domestic animals are a lot easier
to catch than a fleet-footed elk or deer that can also deliver a nasty punch during the
chase. With every new kill, they’re learning that hunting in Hailey has no down side.
These are lessons the lions are not likely to forget.
The lions are becoming bolder and bolder. Their behavior is escalating
and it is dangerous.
It’s one thing to be spotted afar from a town whose population
generally appreciates wildlife. It’s one thing to raid a few garbage cans. It’s
quite another to kill a dog and leave a bloody paw print on the front door of the
owner’s house.
These lions are simply too close for comfort.
Lions are not just big muscular versions of Fluffy the family cat. They
are lethal versions that can acquire a taste for humans.
Lions first feasted in Hailey last winter when several reportedly
picked off some pet cats.
Hailey is not an isolated or remote canyon where "the lions were
here first" kind of logic might apply. Hailey is a community of more than 6,000
people that has been around for more than 100 years.
Even respected wildlife biologist Maurice Hornocker, who has
specialized in the study of big cats, agrees that action is necessary.
Hailey government officials need to demand removal of the cats. Fish
and Game officials need to quit making excuses about the difficulty of removing the lions.
They need to quit hoping they will go away. They won’t.
If Fish and Game personnel believe tranquilizing and removing the lions
will not work, they should hunt down the lions and kill them.
Hailey would not allow a vicious dog to terrorize a neighborhood. It
would not tolerate a human being that killed neighborhood pets. It would take swift action
against any human predator that posed a threat to children.
Yet, despite the obvious danger to the public health safety and
welfare, the Hailey mayor and city council have been utterly silent.
All the politically correct rationalization in the world will not help
if the lions suddenly acquire a taste for toddlers. It’s time to send these lions to
the happy hunting ground.
