No justification for proposed bobcat hunts in Illinois

Illinois' still-recovering bobcat population is once again in the crosshairs of state lawmakers.

Two identical bills, SB 106 and HB 352, seek to open a hunting and trapping season on this iconic species.

If this sounds familiar, that's because it is.

Gov. Quinn vetoed nearly identical legislation just this past January — and for good reason. After excessive hunting and habitat loss led to drastic population reductions, bobcats were listed as a threatened species in Illinois in 1972, and although they've been making a steady comeback, their populations are nowhere near their historic levels.

There is absolutely no rationale or need for a bobcat hunt. The only support for this legislation comes from exaggerated fear mongering and mistruths from those who wish to participate in the activity.

Far from the monsters that supporters of this legislation have made them out to be, bobcats are shy and elusive creatures that go out of their way to avoid people. Weighing between 25 and 40 pounds, bobcats pose no threat to human safety.

As a native Illinoisan who grew up in the suburbs of Chicago and spent the majority of my life there, I've never once seen a bobcat, and have never heard about a sighting from friends — including hunters — or family that lived throughout the state.

Even in areas where bobcat populations have been slowly recovering, spotting one is a rare, and treasured, occurrence.

Conflicts between humans and bobcats are incredibly rare, and although bobcats are apex predators, they typically prey on small rodents and rabbits and are considered helpful to many agricultural producers.

Illinois lacks additional apex predators, such as wolves or bears, so bobcats play a key and essential role in maintaining a healthy and diverse ecosystem.

Despite all of this, there are still those who would rather see these animals killed using some of the cruelest methods out there — including steel-jawed leghold traps and hounding. Lacking any element of fair chase, hounding involves packs of radio-collared dogs chasing the wildlife until the animal scrambles up a tree to escape the dogs, where she is then shot off of a tree branch. If the bobcat doesn't make it up the tree in time, she may get caught on the ground by the hounds and ripped apart.

Unlike most animals hunted in Illinois, nobody is killing bobcats for meat or to feed their families. Instead, they're killed so that someone simply can decorate their home with a trophy or sell their pelts to fuel the global fur market.

Because trappers only need to check their traps once a day, the bobcat could be left languishing in pain for hours. Animals caught in steel-jawed leghold traps can suffer severe injuries — including amputated limbs and broken bones — as they desperately try to escape.

Illinois' wildlife belongs to everybody, and should be managed in a way that maximizes the benefits for all of its residents — not just a select few that want to exploit them for a quick paycheck.

When a bobcat is killed, that deprives the greater public of ever getting to see and enjoy that amazing animal.

I've never seen a bobcat in the wild in Illinois, and the idea that I may never get the opportunity to do so because their population may soon be under attack using is deeply troubling.

We strongly urge the legislature to vote down SB 106 and HB 352 and maintain necessary protections for Illinois' bobcats.

Samantha Hagio, of Skokie, is wildlife abuse campaign manager for The Humane Society of the United States.