Balance hunting, protection interests

When a Cedar Rapids deer hunter shot a 125-pound mountain lion last week in Iowa County, it ignited a spirited public debate about how or whether such wild animals should be hunted.

Public opinion is divided between those who want to protect the predators and those who want to protect people's right to kill them - and guard against a potential threat to people, pets and livestock.

Some people want state legislators to extend legal protection to the animals, something that has been discussed in the past. It's time to discuss the idea again.

Experts and lawmakers should weigh the options ranging from live trapping to some kind of hunting restriction - find a legal balance somewhere between wasteful killing and safety for residents and other animals.

As of now, mountain lions have no legal protection in Iowa. But even though the animals still are rare here, more sightings in recent years convinces us it's time to address the issue.

Raymond Goebel Jr. was part of a deer hunting party on Dec. 14 near Marengo when he spied the mountain lion resting in a tree. He said that after making sure it was legal and getting an OK from the landowner, he shot the animal. State Department of Natural Resources experts say they believe the animal was wild, not escaped or released from captivity.

It's the fourth mountain lion killed in the state since 2001. The others were in Shelby, Sioux and Wayne counties.

Biologists think the mountain lions increasingly are moving into Iowa from native populations in South Dakota, western Rocky Mountain states or Texas.

If that's the case, we may see more such animals here in the near future.

So it's important to discuss how to control mountain lion populations - to figure out who should manage the animals and how.

Certainly, it's important for landowners to be able to protect their families, pets and livestock from these powerful, meat-eating cats. But what if, as apparently was the case in last week's incident, the animal doesn't pose any immediate threat?

There's a point, too, to be made against shooting mountain lions just because we can.

We don't pretend to know the perfect balance between these competing interests, but it's important for legislators to enact effective, reasonable regulation.

In 2001, at the request of the Iowa DNR, state legislators moved to classify mountain lions and black bears as furbearers. The measure passed the House, but failed in the Senate.

DNR leaders have said that classification would give them the authority to protect the animals from indiscriminate killing while allowing them the flexibility to deal with problem animals.

That proposal, along with other ideas, is worth another look.