Never mind the fact that both mountain lions and bobcats are thriving across Colorado, or that sportsmen contribute nearly $3 billion annually to the state’s economy, support 25,000 jobs (especially in small towns and rural parts of the state without other economic drivers) and pay for the lion’s share of conservation initiatives across Colorado and the nation.
In a state where the beef industry is worth nearly $3 billion annually, there are some 12,000 cattle ranches, 206 feedlots and 24 USDA-certified processing plants (Colorado is the fourth largest exporter of beef in America), it’s an odd place for the Governor to proclaim a “MeatOut Day,” but that’s exactly what Polis did last March. In so doing, he signaled to the region’s agricultural community that the long-running National Western Stock Show may be better off finding a home elsewhere. Nearly 600,000 people attended the Denver show in January, contributing $120 million to the city’s economy.
Equally mystifying is the mountain lion and bobcat bill being backed by the Humane Society of the United States among other animal rights groups. The legislation would circumvent the state’s Parks and Wildlife Division — comprised of biologists, scientists, and other animal researchers with the mandate to manage the state’s wildlife for the public good — and, instead, places management of the two species in the hands of people whose experience with the animal kingdom is apt to come from a Disney film. READ MORE
