Billings Gazette, Casey Riffe, Associated Press file
Grappling with the increased killing of bobcats for fur pelts to supply coat-makers in Asia, Colorado wildlife commissioners on Thursday rejected a citizen petition to outlaw the trapping and trophy hunting of the animals in the state.
The commissioners said science drove their decision — namely a lack of evidence that harvesting bobcats at current levels is harmful to the species.
Scores of residents testified on either side of the proposed ban during a Colorado Parks and Wildlife hearing held in Grand Junction, the latest clash as the West’s booming urban population challenges entrenched values around relations with wildlife.
Colorado Parks and Wildlife officials have identified robust prices for pelts as the motivation for the increased killing. Bobcat-fur coats made in China and Russia sell for tens of thousands of dollars.