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2024 Colorado Proposition 127 was a proposed ballot measure that appeared before voters in Colorado during the 2024 general election. If the citizen initiated proposition had passed, it would have make it illegal to hunt and kill bobcats, mountain lions, and lynx in Colorado. [1]
Currently, hunting bobcats and mountain lions is legal in Colorado and regulated by Colorado Parks and Wildlife. Of the roughly 4,000 mountain lions in Colorado, 504 were killed during the 2022-23 hunting seasons, with hunters being required to take training courses and report all kills within 48 hours of killing an animal. The state collects over $400,000 in revenue annually from big cat hunting licenses. Hunting lynx is already illegal in Colorado and remained so regardless of Proposition 127's faliure to pass.
Proposition 127 was referred to the ballot through citizen petition. Petitions were circulated by the group Cats Aren't Trophys and largely funded by animal rights organizations. They gathered just under 150,000 signatures to put Proposition 127 on the ballot. Had voters approve the measure, bobcat and mountain lion hunting would have become illegal in Colorado. [2]
The proposition appeared on the ballot as follows: [3]
Shall there be a change to the Colorado Revised Statutes concerning a prohibition on the hunting of mountain lions, lynx, and bobcats, and, in connection therewith, prohibiting the intentional killing, wounding, pursuing, entrapping, or discharging or releasing of a deadly weapon at a mountain lion, lynx, or bobcat; creating eight exceptions to this prohibition including for the protection of human life, property,and livestock; establishing a violation of this prohibition as a class 1 misdemeanor; and increasing fines and limiting wildlife license privileges for persons convicted of this crime?
The main campaign in favor of Proposition 127 was led by the group Cats Aren't Trophies. Colorado's official voter guide offered the arguments that hunting big cats is inhumane and supports the unnecessary practice of commercial fur trade. It went on to argue big cat populations in Colorado can self regulate and would not become a public danger without hunters.
There are two organizations which led opposition to Proposition 127. They were Colorado’s Wildlife Deserve Better and Western Heritage Conservation Alliance. [5] The state's official voter guide also offered the arguments that Proposition 127 would have restricted Colorado Parks and Wildlife's ability to manage big cat populations, lynx hunting is already illegal in Colorado, and hunting mountain lions and bobcats provides and important revenue source to wildlife managements sytems and local communities.
Proposition 127 required a simple majority to pass. It failed with only 45% of voters supporting the measure. [8]
| Choice | Votes | % |
|---|---|---|
 No | 1,671,710 | 54.74 |
| Yes | 1,382,048 | 45.26 |
| Total votes | 3,053,758 | 100.00 |
A lynx is any of the four extant species within the medium-sized wild cat genus Lynx. The name originated in Middle English via Latin from the Greek word lynx, derived from the Indo-European root *leuk-, in reference to the luminescence of its reflective eyes.
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The term "big cat" is typically used to refer to any of the five living members of the genus Panthera, namely the tiger, lion, jaguar, leopard, and snow leopard, as well as the non-pantherine cheetah and cougar.
The bobcat, also known as the wildcat, bay lynx, or red lynx, is one of the four extant species within the medium-sized wild cat genus Lynx. Native to North America, it ranges from southern Canada through most of the contiguous United States to Oaxaca in Mexico. It is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List since 2002, due to its wide distribution and large population. Although it has been hunted extensively both for sport and fur, populations have proven stable, though declining in some areas.
The Canada lynx or Canadian lynx is one of the four living species in the genus Lynx. It is a medium-sized wild cat characterized by long, dense fur, triangular ears with black tufts at the tips, and broad, snowshoe-like paws. Its hindlimbs are longer than the forelimbs, so its back slopes downward to the front. The Canada lynx stands 48–56 cm (19–22 in) tall at the shoulder and weighs between 5 and 17 kg. It is a good swimmer and an agile climber.
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Trophy hunting is a form of hunting for sport in which parts of the hunted wild animals are kept and displayed as trophies. The animal being targeted, known as the "game", is typically a mature male specimen from a popular species of collectable interests, usually of large sizes, holding impressive horns, antlers, furs, or manes. Most trophies consist of only select parts of the animal, which are prepared for display by a taxidermist. The parts most commonly kept vary by species but often include the head, hide, tusks, horns, or antlers.
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In British folklore and urban legend, British big cats refers to the subject of reported sightings of non-native, wild big cats in the United Kingdom. Many of these creatures have been described as "panthers", "pumas" or "black cats".
Killman Zoo is a privately owned zoo approximately 4 kilometres or 2.5 miles north of Caledonia in Haldimand County, Ontario, Canada.
Cat Tales Wildlife Center formerly Cat Tales Zoological Park is a USDA Licensed - Class C - Exhibitor that helps rescue and protect big cats and Northwest wildlife. It is located in Mead, Washington. As the need for forever homes constantly changes 2020 increased the sanctuary count to twenty one various felines, including bobcat, lynx, puma, lion, Siberian tiger, Bengal tiger, and white tiger. Along with two black bears, and twelve various canines, including arctic fox, red fox, coyote, and wolfdog.
Turpentine Creek Wildlife Refuge (TCWR) is a 459-acre wildlife refuge for abused, abandoned, and neglected big cats.
Many different species of mammal can be classified as cats (felids) in the United States. These include domestic cat, of the species Felis catus; medium-sized wild cats from the genus Lynx; and big cats from the genera Puma and Panthera. Domestic cats vastly outnumber wild cats in the United States.
Big Cat Rescue Corp., also known as BCR and previously known as Wildlife on Easy Street, Inc., operates an animal sanctuary in Hillsborough County, Florida, United States, which rescues and houses exotic cats, and rehabilitates injured or orphaned native wild cats. It was founded by Don Lewis and Carole Baskin in 1995.
The fauna of the U.S. state of California may be the most diverse in the United States. Of the lower 48 contiguous states, California has the greatest diversity in climate, terrain, and geology. The state's six life zones are the lower Sonoran (desert); upper Sonoran ; transition ; and the Canadian, Hudsonian, and Arctic zones, comprising California's highest elevations. California's diverse geography gives rise to dozens of ecosystems, each of which has its own native plants and animals. California is a huge state, the third largest in the U.S., and ranges broadly in habitats.
Four Paws is a global animal welfare organisation based in Vienna, Austria. It focuses on improving the living conditions of animals under direct human influence, by revealing suffering, rescuing animals in need, and protecting them.
The Yellowstone Wildlife Sanctuary is the 501(c)(3) nonprofit animal sanctuary in Red Lodge, Montana, with the mission of providing lifelong sanctuary to non-releasable Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem wildlife while sharing a message of education and conservation. The Yellowstone Wildlife Sanctuary is accredited by the American Sanctuary Association.
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